Shadowside
by ArchitectOfLight
Summary: A girl enters a mysterious realm infected with darkness. She does not realize yet, but she is the embodiment of Light itself; with her friends behind her, she will journey into this world to purge it of the Shadow that embodies it.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Hello, all. It is good to be bringing this story to you for the first time.**

**So please, allow me to elaborate:**

**My aunt and I do so enjoy spending much time together, speaking of all that is of the Spirit Realm. We both heavily emphasize our interests in studying such things such as Shamanism, spiritual healing, and above all, Light and Dark Sides. Ever since I first started talking to her about it, she has told me of the presence of a "Shadowside" within each and every one of us. Most people are quick to assume that their Shadowside-or Dark Side, as some people have commonly referred to it as-is an evil force inside of them, waiting to control them with most distasteful urges. ****But it is not all true. **

**Sure, your Shadowside can mislead you on most situations, but should you spend the time to become greater in tune with it-as I have-your Shadowside can become the greatest guardian of the mind that you have ever acquainted yourself with. That does not entirely mean you can leave your entire trust within the Shadow, though; you must learn to balance your faith in both Light AND Dark in order to maintain a healthy mental lifestyle. **

**From the start of these sessions with my aunt, I would write out these incredibly vivid dreams I would have, which all tied into each other somehow, as if like an ongoing story. The four parts of my own Shadowside-as my mind so greatly created-visited me in many different realms. One half of my Shadow would be calm and collected, yet quick to be angered when something should come before me. This half would be the one to tell me the right from wrong. ****And the other half would be very, very grimdark, yet still willing to protect me. This half would be the one to tell me the wrong from right. Yet, despite all that, this half of my Shadow would still be very friendly towards me, lashing out at whatever enemies I might encounter within the confines of my mind. **

**And then, _she_ came in. It was during one particular dream discussion that my aunt became intrigued in the appearance of my Light Side. She went into the discussion of "balancing Light and Dark," to which I listened intently. It all grew on me, and my aunt and I grew closer together in our spiritual practices. In a sense, that is where this story originates from.**

**Now, before anybody gets on my case about it, I understand that a site like this may or may not be the ideal place to post a story like this-especially considering the many familiar characters people may easily recognize from other media. And if you DO recognize any of it, good on you, my friends. But that is how my mind functions; my imagination is but an endless stream of brilliant thoughts, to which I simply cannot let any of it go to waste. **

**But with all that being said, I do so hope I may be able to entertain you with this. So enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Awakening<strong>

From the start, there was only darkness.

Every corner and orifice of the empty-minded space was shrouded in black.

Not a soul in sight; all but a multitude had escaped, now corrupted by the dark taint of the land.

This world belonged to somebody; his identity was known only to the spirits who had resisted this shadow's pollution. But even then, those spirits alone couldn't purge the evil from this land.

But it was on this very day, that a new soul would enter this world; one who would not only learn the ways and lifestyles of the many people of the land, but one who would save this world from the visage of evil…

* * *

><p>All of a sudden, a twinkle shone through the darkness of the cavern. It faded for a second, and then exploded into a supernova of light. It filled the entire volume of the cavern with a heavenly illumination, which might have blinded all in eyeshot, had there been anyone around.<p>

From the core of the ball of light, something began to take form. As it continued to shape itself, the mass became what appeared to be a person. Curled up in a vertical fetal position, the human-like shape began hovering towards the ground with the light. As it descended, the shape gradually began to rise into an upright, floating position.

When at last the figure and the ball of light were a small distance above ground, floating in unison, the figure's shadow lifted, revealing its identity. It was a girl, roughly in her teenage years, clad in a white sleeveless belly shirt and sweatpants, with her short brown hair in a ponytail. Floating inches above the ground, she scanned the area, light amber eyes wide with fear. She felt as if she knew this place wasn't supposed to be as it was now.

But quicker than she could react, a low string of inhuman jeering started ringing in. Spinning round, she saw that all around her, the darkness was beginning to close in, creatures of all shapes and sizes looming over her with big red eyes, cackling, moaning and growling in a horrifying, swelling cacophony.

The poor girl was already shaking in fear. She was all alone, no other human around to come to her rescue. The monsters came in dangerously close, completely enveloping her and her light. She was fairly certain that the aura of light she was floating in wouldn't save her.

But suddenly, her fear began channeling into adrenaline. Concentrating, she curled up into a ball again, focusing all her energy into her core, the light around her entering her tiny body. Deep down, she could feel every cell of her body being supercharged, as if she were getting stronger by every second that passed. Just as the darkness completely engulfed her, it happened.

The girl flipped back to an upright floating position, throwing her arms out at either side of her. As she did, the aura of light reemerged, exploding around her from all sides. The abhorrences around her squealed and screeched in agony, thrown completely back from the shockwave of brightness that had collided with them. Defeated, they flew back into the blackness in pained terror, their squeals echoing off into nothing

Arms falling back to her side, the girl touched the ground at last. Her head was now hanging low, her entire supply of energy drained from that attack. Panting weakly, she fell to her knees, the light around her gradually fading. She tried to look around, but her vision was blurring fast. But as she fell to the ground, she caught a glimpse of something approaching her. It looked like a group of people, but unlike the monsters that had tried to hurt her, these looked like actual humans.

The girl blacked out momentarily, and when she came to, she was on her back, the group of people looking down at her. Her aura of light nearly gone, she managed to utter one last plea, "_Help…me…..please….._" before falling unconscious.

* * *

><p>Minutes later, still in an unconscious state, the girl felt herself being carried away. She couldn't think or open her eyes even a crack to see, as her energy was completely drained. But still breathing, she thought she could hear the people talking. In fact, they were speaking of her.<p>

"_Man, this chick must've taken a heavy load, 'specially after facing those things. Think she might've conked herself out." _The first of the group spoke. He had a pubescent, slightly raspy voice. Another part of the group blasted him.

"_No duh, lardfat! What tipped ya off: the fact that she's asleep now, or the fact that she fainted right before we could find out how she got here?" _The second person had an annoying, Bostonian accent, and was quite fast-talking.

The two argued on, until the next person in the group cut in. It was a teenage girl, sounding younger for her age. "_Both of you cut it out! Do you think any of us had this in our agendas for today? No! What's important is we found her just before those monsters got her. We gotta help her!" _

The first voice spoke again. _"Tomo's got a point. If we just leave little Sleepy Head out here, she'll get eaten. But where would we even take her?" _

"_Well, hey, I'll take her! Always wanted a chick for my own!" _The Bostonian voice butted in; a smack could be heard as he was slapped in the back of the head by the next in line of the group. It was another girl, this one with a dreamy, spaced-out voice with a small Southern accent.

"_Why y'all gotta be so full of yourself, Jimmy? It's like yer first instinct is to get in bed with every girl you meet, even if they're completely unconscious…but he might be right about something for once. Light Girl could be safer if we take her in." _

The next of the group delivered her insight. It sounded like a child in her pre-teenage years.

"_She could stay with us! Our little hideout's been untouched by those creatures, so it'll be perfect for her! We could all be roomies!" _

The girl could then hear the entire group agreeing in unison. She could hear the rest of the people in the group along with the first four, but she couldn't make out what they sounded like.

At last, she fell completely unconscious.

* * *

><p><span>Two Hours Later…<span>

The girl felt herself on the ground again, something cool and moist pressed against her forehead. Slowly opening her eyes, shuddering weakly, her vision began returning to her, the blur in her eyes clearing up.

When the girl found the strength to open her eyes all the way, the first sight that greeted her was another girl, much younger than her, wearing a white T-shirt and pink skirt, with her light brown hair tied back into large, poofy pigtails. She had a wet, cold washcloth pressed against the girl's forehead. But when she had seen the girl was awakening, she smiled with a wide open grin.

"Good morning, sleepy head! You gave my friends and I a real scare, ya know!" The little girl spoke of how she had found her lying in the darkness after driving off the monsters.

For the first time, the girl spoke fully. "Mm…what…what happened?"

"We saw you drive off those beasts before. It was like a mini-Big Bang!"

The girl slowly recalled the events of her entrance into this world. "I…I did that?" She had arisen into an upright sitting position, accepting some tea from the little girl.

"Yeah! Looked like that light show knocked you out pretty bad, though. We brought you back here, where you'd be safe." The two sipped their tea, the bigger girl drinking it all in one shot. To her, it was incredibly delicious and invigorating.

"Whoa! Looks like somebody was thirsty!" The little girl continued drinking her tea slowly, before coming to a realization. "Oh hey, I almost forgot! I never asked what your name was….do you have one?"

The girl sat there in silence for a good time, searching through her mind for whatever her identity was. She was still shaken, trying to recall the events that followed her arrival. But after digging deep, she was able to piece herself together.

"Mimi…I'm Mimi."

"Well, that's a nice name! I'm Chiyo. It's very nice to meet you, Mimi."

Feeling a little more confident, the girl named Mimi asked her awakener, "So, there's others? A-and they all saved me too?"

"Yeah! They're all my friends, and this place is where we all hang out! I could take you to see the others, but…are you sure you feel good enough to do it?"

Mimi slowly stood up and stretched. "I think I'll be alright. I'll just follow you."

The girl named Chiyo smiled again. "Great! Let's go!" And she took Mimi by the hand, tugging her off towards their exit. Mimi, still flustered, tried to keep up with the little girl.

But then, the door slid open, as another girl stepped into the room. She was wearing a yellow tank top and jean shorts, but what made her stand out the most was her hair; it was medium length, bordering somewhere between black and dark brown, and with an impossible haircut; several thick strands of hair sticking out like spikes at the end, resting right below her neck. When she saw that Chiyo had seemingly yanked poor Mimi from her resting place, she became very cross.

"Chiyo! Why couldn't you let the poor girl sleep? She's tired enough as it—holy crap, she's actually alright?"

"*sigh* Typical Tomo. Always jumping the gun with her special brand of crazy. Mimi, this is Tomo. Tomo, this is Mimi." The two girls shook hands, and Tomo spoke again.

"Uh…hehe, sorry for snapping. I'm real hyperactive all the time. So…no hard feelings, right?"

"No…I don't think so."

"Great! The little Sleeping Beauty lives! Hallelujah!" Tomo gave a little leap of joy, before running out the door and down the hall, arms out by her sides and making noises like an airplane.

Mimi, completely taken aback at what she had just witnessed, asked little Chiyo for some information.

"Is she always that hyper? I don't mind it, but I just don't want that Tomo girl to hurt herself."

"Oh, don't worry. She never gets crazy enough to hurt herself….although she has steered me and the others into some troublesome situations." This earned a small gasp from Mimi, but Chiyo quickly reassured her. "Oh, don't worry, Mimi! None of us have been gravely injured by her antics."

Taking Mimi by the hand once more, Chiyo led her out of the room, a little more gently now. The two entered a hall with small lanterns on each side, giving sufficient illumination. Taking in the calm atmosphere, Mimi felt she could definitely fit in here.

* * *

><p>But both girls' states of mind were interrupted by a sudden explosion from the closest room. The entire structure shook, before a dual set of crazed laughter started emanating from the room. Mimi could barely make out the shouting coming from within.<p>

"_Jesus! Is there anything you two lunatics WON'T destroy!" _

"_POT ROAST!" "Get to the choppa!" _

"_J-just get out of here! It's gonna take forever to clean this place up!" _

"Umm…do I even want to know what the cause of that explosion was?"

"It's a loooong story, Mimi. The two people that did it are on our side, don't worry. But, ehh, they've got a couple screws loose."

As if on cue, the door to the shambled room flung open as two extraordinary beings ran down the hall. Both were differently colored; one bright red and orange, the other purple and white. But both appeared to be glowing brightly with explosive energy, cackling madly as they cartwheeled and tumbled out of sight.

Unable to comprehend what had just flown in front of her, Mimi simply stood back, mouth agape and eyes wide, as a rather large teenaged gentleman chased them out. He wasn't very happy.

"Yeah, that's right, scram! Go wreck somebody else's room!" That's when he turned around and noticed the two girls. Instantly, his frustration was replaced by interest.

"Well, hey there, Chiyo! Looks like Light Girl's all better now, eh?" His voice sounded raspy and prepubescent

Chiyo giggled in her small voice. "Yep! She just needed some bed rest, that's all." She ran up to the large man, leaping into his arms as the two embraced in a big bear hug. Mimi's heart practically melted at the sight.

"Aww, you guys look so adorable like that! Are you like siblings or something?" The two chuckled, and the large man addressed the question.

"Aw, I wish. We're not related, but I took it on myself to make Chiyo my soul sister."

"And Owen's my soul brother. It's even better than being just plain old brother and sister!"

"Oh, speaking of which, I forgot my manners!...Actually didn't know I had them in the first place. The name's Owen." He stepped forth to shake Mimi's hand, and she found his grip was surprisingly strong for being incredibly portly and square. Besides that, he had short, spiky blond hair, and wore a large white T-shirt with a blue maple leaf embroidered all across the front, and shorts.

"I'm Mimi. Pleased to meet you, Owen." The boy named Owen laughed annoyingly.

"We've only just met for reals, and already I like this girl!" Without warning, Owen scooped Mimi up, and held her in a massive, near-bone crushing hug. Mimi could only squeak in panic at the sudden burst of painful affection.

The "hug" lasted for several seconds, before Chiyo stepped in. "Owen—Owen! Easy! She can't breathe!" Realizing this, Owen promptly released poor Mimi. "Oops…sorry." He said innocently.

Taking in several deep breaths to refill her severely deflated lungs, Mimi squeaked, "I-it's okay. I'm not hurt."

"Well, now that we've made nice with each other, do you want to continue, Mimi?" Chiyo asked.

"Y-yes. I still want to see who else saved me…"

The trio continued down the rest of the hallway, until finally reaching a set of double doors. Chiyo stopped and faced the other two suddenly.

"Are you sure you're ready, Mimi? I feel like you might be better off resting a little more before meeting the others."

"I'm positive, Chiyo. I just want to see who rescued me from certain death."

"Well…..I should warn you. Tomo's not the only one who can be excitable."

* * *

><p>Just as she said that, the double doors burst open, sending Chiyo flying back onto her behind. A skinny, well-built man strode in, looking rather confident. His bright red winter cap fit snug over his head, matching his bright-red shirt and brown pants.<p>

"Yo, Shorty! She up yet?" The man's voice had a heavy Bostonian accent, and was quite fast. "Oh hey! Right on time! Wassup there, babes?" Both Chiyo and Owen threw disgusted looks his way. Poor Mimi had no clue how to respond; if she should be mildly flattered, or appalled.

"Name's Jimmy, sweetheart—fastest thing alive! I'm a genuine force 'a nature, and ain't nobody gonna mess with me!" Flexing after almost every word, Jimmy was practically showboating off to Mimi. Now she was positively disgusted.

That's when Tomo reentered, giving Jimmy a well-needed slap across the back of the head. "Yeah, keep that dream alive, lover boy." Helping Chiyo back to her feet, she turned back to Mimi. "I can see you've met Jimmy. He's the resident idiot of our group. "

Jimmy glared at Tomo, but both turned back to the trio, offering to lead them outside. The group finally set foot outside the building, where Mimi was finally able to see the rest of the land; the sky was colored a hazy red dusk, with scattered clouds. A small wind was blowing through the area, catching a hanging set of wind chimes in the gust, while the porch they were all standing on was dimly lit by two large lanterns. The building itself resembled a summer house, which Chiyo stated belonged to her.

"Wow…..it's so pretty out here—but so dark. Quite a mix." Mimi observed.

"I think you'll definitely get used to it, Mimi, since it's almost always like this. Only the mornings are the brightest." Chiyo chirped in.

"Yeah. It's like we need a flashlight just to find the path during the day." Owen added.

Mimi's happy look then dropped. Her mind suddenly recalled her entrance into this world; how she felt like she knew this place wasn't supposed to be the way it was. But she perked up again before the others could notice her discomfort.

"So, um…are you all that saved me? You're all very, very nice people, but I felt like I heard more of you when you were carrying me away."

"Oh no, there's more! We're not the only ones who didn't want you to die." Tomo answered.

"Gotta warn you there, babe—"Tomo glared at Jimmy, fist raised. "—uh, Mimi. Owen, me and….well, you'll see, are the only guys, so I hope ya don't mind most of our group being girls."

"Oh no, it's fine. Where I grew up, there weren't many guys there either, so it doesn't faze me." The rest of the group relaxed, before Chiyo suddenly dashed towards the side of the house. "Oh, then I think you'll love meeting this next person!"

Mimi looked back at the others, Owen shrugging in confusion. Moments later, Chiyo came running back, holding the hand of another girl who was laughing and struggling to keep up. "Alright, alright, Chiyo! I'm coming!"

When Chiyo reached the others, that's when the new girl first saw Mimi. The new girl's outfit was interesting, to say the least; she was clad in a black and red tennis uniform and skirt, with bright, reddish brown hair and sneakers. Both of them exchanged an interested glance, before Chiyo once again chirped in. "Mimi, this is Sora. Sora, this is Mimi. Sora's been with us for the longest time, so we sort of made her our makeshift leader."

Sora was the first to speak between her and Mimi. "It's very nice to meet you, Mimi. And…I think you look very pretty." This resulted in an instant beet-red blush from Mimi.

"Th-thank. So, are you the one who found me first?"

"Well, I was the first who saw you drive those shadow monsters away, and I was amazed that you were capable of such a thing. But when I saw you start to faint, that's when I got worried. The others were with me, so I had them bring you here to our little sanctuary. So we're all very relieved that you're alright."

Mimi giggled in response. "Thanks, guys. You're turning out to be some of the best friends I've ever met." The rest of the group complimented her, flattered by her kindness. A few more kind words were said, before Mimi noticed somebody sitting out in the field in front of the house.

"Hey, who's that over there?" She began running out towards the figure, the others following suit. When she was close enough, Mimi stood before the seated figure, who appeared to be drawing something. This girl was wearing a purple shirt and white shorts, with very long black hair that reached down to her lower back. The girl was also incredibly well-endowed, which made Mimi do her best not to notice, so as not to embarrass the girl.

* * *

><p>The others stood a good distance away from the two, observing the interactions between Mimi and the girl. Their only conversations were done in whispering.<p>

"How do you think she'll do?" Tomo whispered to Sora.

"I don't know. Mimi's very friendly, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough to break through to our friend there."

"I tell ya what; I'd definitely get through to that chick. Heck, if her rack got any bigger, we'd all be in the shade! OW! Why's everybody always hitting me!" Jimmy's arrogance was quickly shut up, as the observation continued.

Mimi sat down in front of the girl quietly. She looked up from her drawing, a mildly surprised look on her face, then resumed drawing. Mimi decided to try and talk to her, in the hopes of breaking through her shyness.

"Um….hello there….you seem like a very nice girl." Nothing. When Mimi looked down at the girl's paper, she saw what she was drawing; it was herself—the girl—hugging a very large cat. Mimi found it rather cute.

"That's a very nice picture you're drawing there. I like animals, too." Still nothing but silence from the girl. Mimi decided it be best that she leave the girl alone; she didn't want to come off as trying to get her to talk. "Well, I'm gonna go now. I think your picture will turn out very nicely."

As she started off back to the house, there then came a voice that surprised everybody right and well.

"Nobody's ever talked to me like that without getting up in my face." The girl talked in a proud, but shy voice. Mimi spun back around, the rest of the group gasping in thrilled surprise. Sora said to herself, _"My God, she did it!"_

Calmly extending a hand to the girl, Mimi helped her to her feet, her picture in hand. It was then that Mimi noticed the girl was incredibly tall; standing side by side, Mimi's head just barely reached the girl's shoulder. Regardless, they went hand and hand together back to the house, when the rest of the group appeared before them, all equally impressed.

Chiyo said to Mimi, "No one's ever been able to break through to Miss Sakaki like that before!" The girl named Sakaki blushed, happy. Sora was just as impressed with little Mimi.

"You're really something, Mimi. I never thought someone like you would come around and change my friends like this. You've just earned a valuable best friend in me."

Mimi blushed, thankful for being accepted by this group. But Tomo, being hyperactive as she was, gave a small reminder to all. "Hold the phone, guys! She may be a real sweet girl, but she hasn't been canonized yet. It's group protocol, Sora."

"Canonized?" Mimi said with a certain amount of dread.

"Oh, come on, Tomo. She's shown that she can change us like so; is it really necessary this time?"

Tomo gave Sora a stern look, as if to say, "You're our leader; start acting like one." Sora sighed, obviously not wanting to impose too much on their new friend. "Fine. We'll go through with it. Sorry, Mimi; we all had to go through it, and now it's your turn."

"O-okay….I can do this." Mimi kept her courage strong, following Sora and the others back to the house. Upon returning, they were greeted by another new face: this girl had long hair, similar to Sakaki's, only much shorter, reaching down below her neck. Wearing only her pajamas, she asked the only question in her head in a light Southern accent: "What'd I miss, guys?"

"Uh, quite a lot, Osaka. No doubt you remember Light Girl here? Her name's Mimi." Owen addressed the girl named Osaka about their little friend. The look on Osaka's face then went from a puzzled frown, to a wide-mouthed goofy grin. "That's a real nice name…I think you'll fit in just fine with us, Mimi." The way Osaka spoke intrigued Mimi; her Southern accent was intermixed with a slow, dreamy-like voice.

Even the way Osaka moved around was the same: slowly walking towards the group, as if sleepwalking with that same grin and big-eyed stare. Joining Mimi's side, everybody ventured towards the entrance of the house. But as Sora set one foot through the doorframe, another explosion inside caught her off-guard. Mimi quickly pulled her back out on instinct, as a pile of rubble and debris fell in front of the door.

* * *

><p>Almost immediately, Owen flew into a rage. "Damn it! Don't those two ever give up on breaking things!"<p>

On cue, the two energetic beings Mimi had seen before jumped out from behind the rubble, laughing their heads off. At last, she could get a clear view of them. Both beings were human, but as she remembered, they were glowing with some sort of explosive energy. The one on her left was colored red and orange, the one on the right purple and violet. The latter had a pretty yellow bow on her head, and breasts, clearly labeling her as the former's female counterpart. But both shared the same googly eyes, flaming heads, and toothy grins.

With everyone else heavily shaken, Sora attempted to introduce Mimi to the duo of firebugs in front of them.

"Well…um…Mimi, this is...'Splosion Man. And this—this is his wife, Ms. 'Splosion Man." The two chuckled in over joyous glee.

"Th-th-those things actually have names?" Mimi was shuddering from head to toe, afraid of what the two maniacs before her would blow up next.

"Those were the names that they apparently wanted us to call them by. So we just stuck with it."

**"Porterhouse!"** 'Splosion Man cried out without warning. Still baffled, Mimi asked, "Does he always do that? Scream out random names of meat and act like a lunatic?"

"I'm afraid so. Same with the Mrs. Except her thing is pop culture references." Sora answered. Hearing this, Ms. 'Splosion Man followed suit; "Boys—shoes—clothes—ohGodit'!"

Nobody commented on that, instead letting Owen stay behind to clear the wreckage blocking the entrance. "Hey, I may be fat, but I've got a ton of muscle underneath." He said with a wink. With that, Mimi and the others were off.

As they neared an open field, Sora announced how Mimi's canonization would work:

"Well, since our two demolitions experts managed to block our only entrance, the main part of your canonization will have to wait. But now, this is the perfect opportunity for a little race. Owen shouldn't be long in clearing the debris, so this should be a nice little time-filler. We want to see how fast you can run."

"Well…I'm fairly certain I ran a whole lot back where I came from. So this shouldn't be anything new."

"Oh, well, then you, my friend, have obviously never been in a race with Sakaki here." Sakaki stepped to Mimi's side, getting into a ready stance. "She's been able to outrun all of us, even me. So for the first part of your canonization, you'll be racing Miss Sakaki around this huge field."

Both girls stood at the starting line, right at the outermost part of the field. The others, excluding Sora, who was the judge of the contest, stood by the side, cheering both girls on. Standing in front of the two contestants, Sora raised her hand. "Alright. I want a good, clean race. No shoving or throwing each other off track, no dirty tactics, and most of all, no shortcuts. Are you two ready?" Both nodded, getting into a ready stance.

"Alright then. Go!" In that second, Sakaki and Mimi jolted forward, both neck and neck running down the path at their own breakneck speeds. Their hair flowed elegantly behind them, like flags in the wind. The onlookers clapped and cheered intensely, unsure of which racer to root for. Sora just stood back, watching in shame as poor Mimi started to lose ground against Sakaki.

Towards the halfway mark, Mimi was already aching. Every muscle in her body was screaming in pain as she struggled to keep up with her opponent, who wasn't even breaking a sweat. Panting heavily, she knew she couldn't give up yet. She was strong, and she wouldn't ever back down from a challenge, no matter the odds.

Looking back up from the ground, Mimi pushed herself further, catching up with Sakaki again. Sakaki looked back to see her gaining fast, and maintained her already-fast speed. The two became neck and neck again, close to the halfway mark of the path. Every ounce of Mimi's strength was being pumped dry as she struggled to keep up with Sakaki, even as she threw everything she got out into the open, running faster than she had ever ran before. Even Sakaki cranked the speed up, both vying for first place.

Adrenaline was surging through Mimi's veins as she and Sakaki reached the uppermost part of the field. But it was more than that; she felt the light that had enveloped her before course through her veins, giving her strength beyond her wildest thoughts. In a split second, Mimi began to pass Sakaki, her little feet flying across the dirt faster than ever before. But it wasn't just that; the ground beneath her was lighting up, a trail of light forming underneath her.

When Sakaki looked down at Mimi, she was nearly taken aback by her competitor's sudden burst of speed. But the biggest shock—not only to Sakaki, but to the spectators—was the fact that she was now becoming bathed in light as she ran. As her form became more streamlined, Mimi's top speed went up way beyond her maximum. She was now blazing down the path as a comet of light, illuminating the entire area around her.

In a split flash, Mimi had crossed the finish line, panting heavily, but not even breaking a sweat. As she stood upright to stretch, the spectators all flew into uproarious applause, Sora included. All were awestruck by little Mimi's feat, and when Sakaki crossed the finish herself, Mimi patted her on the back, before Sakaki said through regaining breaths, "You really blew me away there, Mimi. Maybe we can race more often."

Mimi smiled, before Sora rejoined her.

"Well, that's one test I certainly shouldn't have underestimated you in. How did you learn to do that?"

"I-I don't know. I was doing all I could to keep up with Sakaki, and then all of a sudden, I felt this little ball of light grow inside of me. And it grew so much, that I felt like I could run faster than anything in the world. It felt like I was all-powerful in a way."

"But hey! You cheated! Sora said you weren't supposed to take any damn shortcuts!" Jimmy jumped in, reminding all of the rules. But Sora simply shrugged it off.

"I'll allow it. I didn't see her cut through the field in any way. So she's clean." Jimmy gawked at Sora's verdict, looking back at Mimi, then back to Sora. Nothing else was said, until a call from Owen signified that he had cleared the rubble. Sora and Mimi nodded at each other, joining the others and returning to the house.

On the way back, everybody was still crowding over Mimi, over her amazing feat of light power. She was incredibly happy with all this new attention she was now getting, but was unsure of how to return the love. But as they were about to enter the house, Mimi's eyes fell upon the most beautiful artifact she had ever seen in her life.

* * *

><p>Buried deep within a rock was an elegant sword. The hilt and blade were made of pure, brightened silver, a bright red ruby encrusted into the hilt, and jagged, gilded edges on the sides of the hilt. Instantly, Mimi wanted to know more.<p>

"Hey, what's that?" She asked Sora, pointing to the sword.

"Oh, that? We found it stuck in that rock when we brought you here. It's really weird, though; none of us have been able to pull it out, not even Owen. And he's the strongest of all of us." A slight remembrance then crossed Mimi's mind. Something about the sword seemed very familiar, and she wanted to know more. "Well…maybe I-I could try pulling it out?"

"Maybe later, Mimi. Right now, we still need to get through your canonization."

Finally setting foot back in the house, Mimi and the group progressed back through the halls into a quaint room that resembled a dojo. An incense stick burned brightly, sending wafts of fragrance into the air. A pair of lights illuminated the dojo floor, tatami tiles gleaming brightly. Stepping into the large circle arena in the middle of the room before everyone was Tomo, who looked ready for battle.

Before Mimi could enter the ring with her, Sora held her back, explaining this next step.

"Well, Mimi, here we are at the second half of your initiation; or should I say, your 'actual' canonization. You'll be facing Tomo and I, mano-a-mano, one after the other. I'd have you face Sakaki, since she's one of the combatants as well. But I think that race has bought you a free pass against her…also, she's probably dead tired from that race."

The thought of combat worried Mimi; unbeknownst to her new friends, she had training in numerous martial arts, and certainly wasn't afraid to unleash any part of them. But she didn't want to hurt her friends; regardless, she was ready to fight.

Stepping onto her side of the ring, facing Tomo, Sora once again stood by the sides, acting as the referee, knowing she would be next to face Mimi. The others stood by as spectators, watching as Mimi and Tomo circled each other, the former trembling slightly in preparation for what was coming.

Tomo, energetic as ever, jumped into a heavy battle stance, before proclaiming, "I'm about to turn up the heat on your little bubbly attitude! And shut up about the bad pun!"

Her hands began to glow and pulsate with energy, as she waved them around in a slow, concentrative motion. From her hand motions, there formed a fiery Japanese character.

_"Secret Technique: Flame Dancing!"_

In an instant, Tomo was now twirling about, flames literally spinning and dancing with her with every hand motion. She then shot her hands out in front of her, before pulling them back, clenching them into fists, then into a prayer formation. Sure enough, a ball of fire roughly the size of her hand formed within her palm.

With all her might, Tomo hurled the fireball straight at Mimi, who had barely enough time to leap out of its trajectory. But as she got back to her feet, she was forced to dodge a second fireball that whizzed right by her head.

"Keep dancing, Light Girl! I could keep this up all night!" Tomo declared, now practically showboating to the crowd by firing off another fireball from the tip of her thumb whilst admiring herself in a mirror.

Poor Mimi found herself jumping all across the arena floor, desperately trying to avoid getting singed by Tomo's flame barrage. Soon enough, she found herself in a corner, the spectators jeering at her misfortune, all but one: Jimmy. "Aw'right, Tomo! Sock it to her! Make a Light Girl Barbeque! OW! Again with the hitting!"This time, it was Owen who slapped him upside the head. But Tomo, in her energy-driven state, was all but happier to end it.

Focusing all her energy into the palm of her hands, she created a mighty fireball bigger than the size of her head. Raising it up, Mimi could even see flames in the cores of her eyes, as a huge smile formed across her face. She was now completely helpless.

"Say your prayers, little Mimi! Because you're about to be a shish kebab!" Arching back, Tomo let her massive projectile fly with a mighty throw. Mimi could only barely brace herself, shielding her face with her hands moments before the flames hit her.

* * *

><p>When the smoke cleared, everyone, including Tomo, was left staring in disbelief. Not only had Mimi survived the blast, the massive fireball was now being clutched in her hands. Her hands were encased in two translucent orbs of light, which allowed her to grasp the fireball as if it were light as a feather. It took Mimi a moment to realize what was going on, but then, with an equally wicked smile, she wound herself up and threw the ball back towards Tomo, who just barely dodged its trajectory.<p>

Brushing herself off, Tomo was not ready to admit any defeat.

"You're quite the trickster there, aren't you? I admire that." And she began to unleash another barrage of fireballs. The crowd gasped, but Mimi kept them cheering by expertly catching every single projectile, and throwing them back at their maker. After several rounds, one good deflection sent a ball of flame in the right path, singing Tomo across her leg. Yelping in pain, she clutched the spot where she was hit, cringing.

This resulted in more spurring on from the crowd.

"C'mon, Meems! Show her you've got a pair!...Oh wait, you're a girl." Osaka went.

"Keep at it, Mimi! She's got more tricks up her sleeve!" Chiyo warned.

And she was right. Prepping herself back up, Tomo, still full to the brim of adrenaline, faced Mimi once again, a fresh burn mark running down her leg.

"I'll be damned, Meems. You actually hit me! But let's see how you handle THIS! Go, Flame Jet!"

She now threw her hands in front of her, forming a triangle with her pointer fingers and thumbs. A tiny ball of fire formed in-between, which then shot out as a long jet of fire. That's when Mimi revealed another aspect about herself; she was incredibly agile. She only gracefully dodged the Flame Jet's every movement, even when it whipped across the floor, trying to trip her up.

As Mimi's gymnastic dodging continued, Sora watched on in wonder, thinking to herself about this display.

"_Good God, she's something else. She seemed like just a little miracle when I found her, but…now….she's become much more….maybe she could be the one that could save this world!"_

But then, a deeper voice played in her head; one that sounded most inhuman. Unbeknownst to everyone but herself, Sora was being watched by dark forces much more powerful than her or any of her friends.

The voice spoke in a sultry, venomous female addressing Sora directly.

"_Maybe you've forgotten about the four people that easily conquered this realm, one of them being me. Now you will face that girl next, and you will prove to her who the superior one is." _Statement finished, Sora's pupils flashed red, possessed.

At last, Tomo's Flame Jet at last died down, her energy nearly drained. Mimi threw her ponytail back, ready for whatever Tomo was going to throw at her next. She was right to do so.

"Gah….ugh….you're proving to be something else, Meems. But I'm not ready to quit now. So let's end this. _Mighty Flame Tornado!"_

Standing back up, Tomo threw her hands out by her sides, both encased in orbs of fire. Very slowly, she began to spin around, trails of fire forming with every motion of her hands. Gradually, she began to spin faster and faster, become enveloped in the slow-forming vortex around her. A joyous cackle echoed from the center, as at last, a massive tornado of fire filled the room, causing all but Mimi to flee the room.

Chiyo was terrified, knowing that Tomo only pulled this sort of move when she was in a most desperate situation. Owen held her close, trying to calm her down.

"Mimi's gotta stop her! Or else, this whole house will burn down to the ground!"

"Easy, Chiyo, easy. I know Mimi can do it…I know she will." Sora said, trying to instill one last bit of hope into her people.

Back in the dojo, the light from every solitary lantern had been sucked into the growing flame vortex, making it the only source of light in the entire room. Mimi was left standing there before the twister, Tomo's power-hungry laughter echoing from within the center of it.

_"What's wrong, Mimi? Afraid to fight now? Just look at me; I feel like I could burn the whole place down! Just try and stop me!"_

Long entrails of fire whipped out from the vortex, lashing out at Mimi like vicious serpents. That's when she knew she had to act fast to stop the rising inferno. Without warning, the fiery tornado began to move, advancing on her. She had just enough time to sidestep out of harm's way, but now found herself being chased around the room by the swirling inferno. Every other second, it came close to catching her in its wake of hot destruction. The room was slowly being set ablaze with every wasted second; Mimi knew she had to act.

Once again, she found herself caught in a corner, with the menacing tornado before her. Another victorious cackle from Tomo echoed from inside. _"Sayonara, little girl!"_

But this is exactly what Mimi was waiting for. Just as the flame vortex closed in on her, another whip of fire shot out towards her. With the right timing, Mimi was able to grab it, keeping a tight grip on it.

_"Huh? Hey, you're not supposed to do that!"_ Tomo began to struggle within the tornado, trying to regain control of her creation. But Mimi held strong, holding the fiery trail in her hands and beginning to swing in the opposite direction that it was spinning. Even Mimi couldn't believe she was doing this, lifting the tornado up off its center of balance and weaving it around her clenched fists.

Soon enough, everyone else who had escaped the room was in pure astonishment; Mimi was swinging a tornado made of pure fire around the room. From inside the tornado, Tomo was screaming her crazed head off.

_"Ahhhh! Let go of me, please! I promise I'll only leave you with sunburn!"_

But Mimi was not listening to her meaningless words for one second. With one last wind-up, Mimi let out a strained cry of power, holding the tail of the tornado in her fists with all her might and whipping it out in front of her, sending a colossal pillar of flames flying out, burning right through the roof of the room and releasing one last prolonged, defeated wail from Tomo.

When at last the smoke cleared and all the light in the arena was restored, Sora and the others found it safe to reenter. What they saw sent them into one last shock; standing face to face with Mimi was Tomo, her entire body charred and burnt. Whimpering heavily and her pep and energy completely sucked dry, she managed to utter one last cry. "Agh…Mommy…I don't feel good at all." And she fell to the arena floor, unconscious but still breathing.

* * *

><p>A brief silence followed suit, before a raucous applause broke from the crowd. They were all totally blown away by Mimi's stellar fighting performance, and even little Mimi was amazed she had done such a thing.<p>

Back in her mind, Sora was bursting with joy.

"_My God, she actually might be the one that can help us! We're saved!" _

But then, the darker female voice rang out inside her head. "_Hey, cool it, sweetheart. You're up next. Now, show her what true power really is." _

Sora then joined Mimi in the ring, the others resuming their spectating posts. Wielding a Bo staff, she was already well prepared to face Mimi. Twirling it around in her fingers, she was not taking no for an answer to her challenge.

"Alright, Mimi. You pretty much showed Tomo that you're no joke. But let's see how you fare against me!"

Without so much as a moment of preparation, Sora came out swinging, Mimi just barely dodging the staff in the nick of time. But she had no time to rest; several more swings came her way, Sora intent on making her submit.

"No hard feelings, Meems! I'm just trying to put up a good fight for you, unlike Tomo!"

As the fracas continued, the others were split down the middle on which girl to root for.

"Get her, Mimi! You're just as strong as she is! Keep fighting!" Chiyo cheered.

"C'mon, Sora! You've been around longer than she has, so you got a better chance at beating her ass!" Jimmy decided to act like a hard-headed dunce, as usual, where he was immediately greeted by his usual slap against the back of the head. He quickly resumed watching the match in silence.

As the fight raged on, Sora was still swinging her staff good and hard towards Mimi. She was showing absolutely no signs of tiring down, nor was Mimi. She expertly dodged every one of Sora's attacks, even as her staff came dangerously close to cracking her skull.

"Oh, you're good, Mimi! Never thought I'd face someone who was as fast as I was! But you still don't have a chance!" She swung her staff down to the floor in a low sweep, tripping up Mimi and sending her flying through the air.

But Sora's advantage was short-lived; Mimi, in another amazing feat of acrobatics, landed on the floor in a perfect handstand. When Sora took another frenzied swing with her staff, Mimi caught it with her feet; a move that shocked Sora greatly. As she struggled to regain control of her staff, Mimi took the opportunity to perform her own maneuver; forcing her end of the staff down, bringing the other end up, and clocking Sora square in the jaw.

Staggering backwards, Sora was not as gleefully happy anymore. In fact, she felt a small, angered growl escape her lips. The voice in her head spoke to her again.

"_Are you just going to let that girl and her fancy flashlights overpower you like that? Get back in there!" _

Picking her staff up, Sora was now through playing around. And everyone, especially Mimi, could see that.

"Alright, alright. So you want to bring out the bad girl in me? We can do that!" She immediately began to swing her staff much harder and faster, twirling it deftly about at such a speed that Mimi was almost unable to dodge it as much as she had been able to. She also found that the more Sora missed, the more frustrated she grew.

As her anger mounted, the voice in Sora's head continued to egg her on.

"_You're really that worthless, aren't you? Maybe I should've picked the body of someone much stronger." _Naturally, this further angered Sora, who attempted to take her rage out on Mimi, still dodging her every move with no effort.

"_Oh, come on. Hit her already! You're not even trying, you stupid girl!"_

* * *

><p>That last insult hit Sora were it hurt. With a clearly audible growl, she shouted, <strong>"Hold still!"<strong> before thrusting her staff out in front of her, attempting to jab Mimi. What she found instead was her staff connecting and breaking a hole into the wall, wedging it within.

Sakaki suddenly called out to Mimi by that point.

"Mimi! Watch yourself. We all know that Sora can get pretty angry, but this isn't like her."

Mimi nodded at her, before redirecting her attention to Sora, who was now trying to force her staff out of its jam. Mimi knew she had to act before Sora could even begin to swing again.

The two orbs of light returned to her hands. As if acting on their own, they hovered close to Sora's staff, which suddenly began to wobble. Thinking on her own accord, Mimi moved her light-covered hands, and the staff began to jimmy its way out of the wall on its own. She found that she could move and bend the staff in any direction she moved her hands in with this newfound telekinesis.

With this new power in tow, Mimi decided to take it for an immediate test run. Pulling her hands back, the staff bent towards her, creaking. Sora had let go due to being surprised by her own weapon being controlled by someone else, and was completely unprepared for when Mimi threw her hands out in front of her. An invisible lightforce whipped the staff out, slamming it hard into the side of Sora's skull.

Once again, Sora was sent sprawling across the floor, clutching the spot where she had been whacked in wincing pain. The voice continued to berate her.

"_Oh, you can NOT be serious! What do I have to do to get it through your head that you're better than Little Miss Flashlight here? Get back up!" _

Now further frustrated, Sora struggled to get back up. Panting laboriously, she reached for her staff again, a move that worried Mimi. She could tell now that something was not right with her friend. And as Sora threw another lazy swing, Mimi easily caught it, pleading with her whilst struggling to keep her from swinging the weapon again.

"Sora, please. Just stop and listen to me. I really don't want to hurt you again!"

After that last sentence, things immediately took a turn for the worse; Sora stopped fighting for the staff back, and looked into Mimi's eyes. Sora's own eyes were now completely metamorphosed; running blood red and deep with no remorse. Her voice even sounded much darker than before. "Oh, that's a pity—because I certainly have the urge to hurt you really badly!"

"_That's the spirit! Now let me show you how it's really done…"_

The spectators gasped; Chiyo and Tomo were the most horrified, since they had previously witnessed Sora reach a level of anger such as she had now, and they knew what would follow.

"Tomo…I-I'm scared. I don't like it when Miss Sora gets angry; that's when my friends get hurt!"

"It's okay, Chiyo. I know Mimi can beat her down, just like before!"

But Owen quickly shoved her off. "Oh, get off it, Tomo. Let me handle this." He held the shuddering girl in his arms, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Shh….easy there, Chiyo. Nobody's gonna get hurt…" He turned away and said to himself, "…I hope."

Hearing her own new friend say what she had said was enough for Mimi to let go of the staff, only for Sora to heave it across the room. Eyes still glimmering red, she spoke again.

"But why use a dinky little weapon like that? Let's have some _real _fun…"

* * *

><p>Still keeping her courage in check, Mimi dared to look down at Sora's hand. Something was now protruding from the skin; more so, something was sprouting out of the palm of her hand. Even though Sora was visibly straining, she still kept that gleefully wicked smile on her face. After a few seconds, a sharp, bone-like appendage began to slither its way out of her palm. Slowly raising her arm high, the appendage slowly began to branch out and grow larger as the skin and muscle on her arm shriveled away and fell off, all while Sora laughed a dark chuckle, her voice turning into more of a venomous, low snarl.<p>

A minute passed before Mimi was left staring at a humongous, bloodied, bony blade-like appendage that lay in place of Sora's arm. As Mimi and the spectators looked at it in sheer disgust and terror, Sora began to speak like the voice in her head; they didn't know it yet, but the voice had now taken over Sora, controlling her like a helpless puppet.

"What's wrong, Mimi? Don't you recognize your best friend?"

"Sora, please! I know that this isn't you! You've gotta fight it!"

At last, the true shock of the matter came. "Who's Sora? She's gone, sweetheart; I'm Ophelia."

Everyone in the room froze immediately. The atmosphere seemed to turn to ice upon hearing the words that had come out of "Ophelia's" mouth.

"I KNEW that voice sounded familiar!" Owen exclaimed.

"Oh God, how did she get here! Why would she do this to our friend!" Tomo shouted out.

"Ophie's in Sora?...How did she do that?" Osaka wondered.

"Guys, who's Ophelia?" Mimi questioned. However, she got no answer; instead, she was greeted by a heavy swipe from her opponent's bone sword, catching her across the side of her body, knocking her clear across the room and leaving a deep gash. Clutching where she had been hit, Mimi looked up to see Sora looming over her.

"Who am I? Oh, I'm nobody; just somebody that these losers forgot about long ago!" She snarled at the rest of the group before continuing. "When they left my group and I behind long ago, I made a promise to myself to make them ever regret turning their back to me. But nobody loved me—not even the person that gave life to me. So I was forced to find a host to live off of until I was strong enough; and luck be a lady, your little lady friend Sora proved to be all I ever needed."

Mimi tried to take all this in; her own friend—the leader of this group of outcasts—was the host of a force darker than anything she had encountered before. Too weak in that moment to get up, she couldn't stop Sora from striding over to her friends, bone sword at the ready. She began to talk each of them down.

"Oh, hey, Tomo! Crazy as ever are you? Maybe your friends ought to have stuck you in a mental ward when you were crazy enough to have forgotten me!"

"Hey, no fair! Only I can crack jokes like that!"

"And is that—it is! It's the boy with the biggest motor mouth in the world-Jimmy! Tell me—did you even think to run your mouth about me at all?"

"Hey, you're the one who went frickin' nuts whenever we didn't pay attention to you! Why would I want to remember y—"Her weapon came in close to his throat, releasing a terrified squeak. "I mean…good to see you again…hehe…"

"Ahh, Osaka—still got your head in the clouds, I can see. Hell, you're so ditzy, you could be the Moon if you stuck your head up there any further!"

Osaka took it surprisingly well, simply looking up and saying, "I'd love to be up in the sky…I like flying dreams." Sora shook her head, not wanting to lose any more of her words to Osaka's heavy-headed nature.

"If it isn't Owen! Biggest whale I ever did see! Still eating everything plain sight, I can see!"

"Y'know, if you're going to make fat jokes, you may as well look for another fat guy. They don't hurt me, you silly girl."

"Oh, fine. Go eat some more donuts, why don't you? Now you two—"She turned to 'Splosion Man and Ms. 'Splosion Man. But she couldn't come up with anything to say them that would insult them. "Fuck it. I got nothing. You're just both annoying." Naturally, both snarled at her; annoyingly, but still angrily.

"And hey, it's Sakaki!" Hearing her name, Sakaki looked up from staring at the ground. "How's your social life? _What's_ your social life? Ha, ha!" Sakaki simply gasped, but did manage to glare from her shy stature. "What would you know about me and my friends? You hardly even know anything about us at this point, Ophelia. I bet you don't even remember the one that made you possible, unlike us!"

That stopped Sora dead in her tracks. Slowly turning around, everyone could see she was red in the face, and not just from her glaring red eyes.

"Excuse me? What did you just say to me?"

"You only needed us to fill in that blank in what's left of your heart after he vanished. Just face it, Ophelia. Ever since he left, you're nothing!"

That last remark hit her where it really hurt; in an instant, Sora/Ophelia was breathing down Sakaki's neck, or would've if Sakaki were not so tall.

"Don't you **DARE** bring him into this situation. All my pain, all my sorrow, and all my life going downhill; you all know full well that I've attributed that to his disappearance. And you have the gall to use that against me?...You just be lucky I don't skin you alive in front of little Mimi there." She gave one final snort, before redirecting her attention to the fallen Mimi. As she went to go finish the job, a small voice stopped her once more.

"You know, Ophelia? You're nothing but a big crybaby meanie! We tried to be friends with you and the other three, but after he left, you blamed all of us! Grow up already!" Everyone in the room turned to the source to find Chiyo, who had run up to Sora/Ophelia, angry as all hell.

A minute passed before anything happened. But then, Sora turned round to face Chiyo. The biggest smile grew on her face as she looked down on her.

"Well, well, well….how could I forget little Chiyo? Did you shrink at all? You look smaller last time I saw you…all those years ago…" She knelt down to Chiyo's level, which immediately wiped away any confidence Chiyo may have had. "What was that you said about me? That I'm a big crybaby? That I should grow up?" Chiyo started to back up in fear. "Well, maybe I should show you what it means to grow up." As she started to run, Sora grabbed Chiyo by the arm, and she cried out in fear to Owen.

"Ah! Owen! Don't let her hurt me!"

"Hold still, you little brat! I'll make this quick on you!" Raising her bone sword high, Sora had no hesitation in her possessed state to kill a little girl like Chiyo. But from behind her, Mimi had seen everything, and was suddenly filled with a vigorous anger, which was enough to give her the strength to get back up and stop her bleeding.

"Leave her alone, Ophelia! And get out of my friend! They have nothing to do with this!"

Sora whipped around to look at Mimi, much to her surprise. But looking at Mimi, she did nothing more but smirk at her, tightening her grip on Chiyo.

"Aww, does Mimi want big bad Ophie to let go of wittle Chiyo? Is wittle Chiyo gonna cry for her mommy or lardass "brother" to save her?"

"Okay, now THAT hurt." Owen quickly said.

"You don't scare me, Light Girl. You may have been accepted into this stupid little posse, but to me, you'll be remembered as the bitch that stole my friends! Now this little brat is gonna be the first to die! Who's next!" She picked up Chiyo by the back of her shirt with the tip of her bone sword, as the crying girl wailed desperately.

"Aah! No! Put me down, put me down! Somebody save me!"

**"PUT HER DOWN!"** Mimi had had enough of it. Without thinking, she threw both her hands out, and as if on cue, a vivid beam of light shot out, hitting its mark and knocking Sora/Ophelia to the ground, releasing poor Chiyo. She hastily ran to Owen, with his arms spread out ready to catch and hug her, which is exactly what he did to the shaken girl.

Mimi looked down at her hands, which were sparkling brightly with light energy. She realized she was learning more about her powers all over, but she had no time to revel in this knowledge. Sora/Ophelia sprung back up, gnarled weapon at her side.

"On second thought, why should I waste my time on a stupid little child when my real rage is being directed to the girl who took everything away from me?" And she lunged at Mimi with intense venom, only to get blindsided by her own staff, which Mimi had gotten a hold of.

"Sora, you've gotta fight this! She can't keep her hold on you forever!"

"**I'M** Sora now, honey! Submit!" She began a long duel with Mimi between her bone sword and the staff, each girl unwilling to back down. Every swing they threw at each other was deflected by the opposing side. Sora/Ophelia did all she could to belittle Mimi.

"Come on, Mimi. Just give up! Your friends will all be gone soon enough, you know!"

"Ugh—I. Won't. Back down!" She said in-between swings. She increased the pressure, surprisingly bringing Sora down to her knees, despite her raising her bone sword in front of her like a shield.

The rest of Mimi's friends look on in solemn silence, but were all praying for her victory over this monster.

* * *

><p>"<em>C'mon, Meems…you're a tough, bubbly girl. You can do this." <em>Tomo thought.

"_We're all here for you, Mimi. Never give up; that Light of yours will help you."_ Sakaki thought.

"_Never thought I'd say this, but you got this, babe. You're a tough little cookie, and you could beat anyone!" _Jimmy thought.

As she kept fighting, Mimi could feel her friends praying for her. It all made her stronger, and gave her more will to fight. She brought the staff down even harder on her opponent's shield, finally breaking it into pieces. Sora gasped, looking down at the shards of her sole weapon in disbelief that someone weaker than her had just broken it.

But that disbelief quickly turned to more anger, as she lunged at Mimi, breaking the staff with such force that both ends flew into the air, coming back down at Mimi's feet. She then clocked Mimi right in the face, knocking her back with such force that she was blasted through the wall into the outside. The others tried to run, but Sora whipped around and glared at them, keeping them at bay.

Now heavily bleeding, barely conscious and harboring a black eye, Mimi began a desperate crawl to safety. But Sora brought her foot down on top of her, pressing her down into the ground, a pained squeak escaping her throat. She looked up at her tormentor, and found a most horrible transformation had begun; where the bone sword had been, a new arm had grown in its place, but it wasn't Sora's. The new limb was of a pale light blue tint, with bands of black goo oozing across it, and a glove made of the same goo.

Sora clutched the arm in glee, her eyes going from fully red back to regular white, but with violet pupils in place of Sora's brown. "I'm almost there, guys! Almost there…we'll be together forever now…right after I put out this girl's light for good."

Mimi's mind was racing. She could still feel her friends' love for her, and she knew she couldn't submit now. She would never back down from a challenge, even if she was frightened or hurt. She knew she had to find something that could give her an edge against her tormentor. Scanning the surrounding area, she finally saw it; the beautifully crafted sword she had seen earlier, still wedged in its rock prison.

She saw her chance, but as she tried to crawl away, Sora pressed her foot deeper into Mimi's back, squeezing her ribcage and nearly squeezing the life out of Mimi.

"My God, why won't you DIE already!" She grabbed Mimi by the back of her shirt, forcing her to face her. But that was just what Mimi needed; from the palm of her hand, she had conjured up another orb of light. She threw it right into Sora's face, where it burst into a bright flash, blinding the transformed girl.

"OW! Fuck! My fucking eyes! Where did you go, you little bitch! I'll find you!" She clutched her eyes in agony, giving Mimi the perfect head-start to make a break for the sword. She suddenly remembered it now; it wasn't just any old sword—it was _her_ sword.

"Where the hell's she going? She's frickin' scared!" Jimmy called her out.

"No, no, wait, Jimmy. I think she's going for that sword." Sakaki pointed out.

"The sword? This is no time for a re-enactment of The Sword in the Stone! We've got a friend in trouble!" Tomo reminded everyone.

Eyes watering heavily, Sora could only rely on sound to find her way. And when she heard that Mimi was making a break for the sword, she tried to chase after her, but could only stumble blindly about. She then decided to call her out.

"Don't do it, Mimi! Sora would've wanted you to finish the fight, wouldn't she?" But Mimi would not listen to her, even if it was tearing her heart in two. Now she wanted desperately to save her friend from this "Ophelia." She had to get to that sword.

With a couple more blinks, Sora's vision returned, much to the dismay of everyone else. But they, however, decided to act: Owen and 'Splosion Man jumped onto her, grabbing both her arms and holding her back, preventing her from going anywhere. She snarled and thrashed at them, but to no avail.

Mimi had already reached the sword's rock at this point. Deep down in Sora's mind, Ophelia knew about the sword, and how its power was beyond anything she could imagine. She knew she had to stop Mimi from getting it back, or she'd surely be defeated. She tried to call Mimi out again.

"You don't know anything about that sword! The truth would kill you!"

Mimi's energy was beginning to deteriorate, as she flung herself onto the rock. She strained to pull herself up, ignoring anything else that anyone had to say.

"I promise that you'll regret doing this! You're messing with powers you know nothing about!"

"Shut up! You can't stop me! You've hurt my friends, and now, you're going to pay!"

She pulled herself up to her feet, grabbing the sword by the handle, ready to pull. "Light…guide me."

Sora had had enough of toying around now. With a mighty fling, she threw 'Splosion Man and Owen off of her. But they still had not given up.

"Do it, Mimi! It's your only chance!"

"Get da choppa!"

**"MIMI! NO!"**

* * *

><p>It all happened in an instant. Mimi gave a great tug, and the sword was arisen from its prison as if it were as light as a feather. She was thrown back, sword in hand, aglow with light. Everybody in the area was incredibly amazed.<p>

"Holy crap, she got it!"

"How did she lift it out like that when I couldn't!"

"She's covered in light….she's like a nightlight."

"Way to go, Mimi!"

Holding the sword in her hand at long last, Mimi felt an even greater power surging through her body now. The vibrant aura of light that had surrounded her when she first entered this world had returned to her; it entered her, which caused her to shudder violently. She whimpered greatly, as she felt the power of the sword reenter her tiny body. But then, she felt it; she felt memories entering her mind; memories of her creation from this land; she saw _him—_the one her friends had been talking about; only a silhouette, but she saw him—the one who had given everything in this world life. She could hear him talk to her. "_With this Light, I bestow upon you the power to overcome the darkness; something I could not do by myself. You must go and find the Four that have left us. Only then, can I be whole again…" _

She felt it. She felt a sense of booming pride, strength and everlasting power course through her veins. She remembered it all now; this was indeed her sword. She was indeed the one who would save this land. And she was going to start with her possessed friend Sora.

"Light, give me strength!"

She held her sword up to the sky triumphantly. As she did so, the red evening sky cracked open, a bright, dazzling column of light shot down, and channeled through the sword. Mimi felt herself becoming stronger than ever, mass and mass amounts of light energy surging through her at an incredible speed. With one wave of her sword, Mimi filled the sky with many, many stars, where they belonged. The sky was lit up like a stage, every star twinkling brightly. Everyone cheered her on, as Sora tried to shield herself.

"Agh, the light! I can't take it! Stop the stars, stop the cheering, stop it all!"

Mimi clutched the blade and handle of the sword tightly, creating a surge of white electricity across it.

She then slid her clenched fist across the blade, transferring the electric charges into her hand. Then, with an incredible speed that she had never gone, she charged towards her enemy in a near-blinding comet. Sora found herself caught in the path of an almighty uppercut, which launched her high into the air before coming back down with a massive thud.

When she recovered, the two girls locked eyesight, staring each other down. Sora attempted to keep an angered visage against Mimi, but could no longer do so. She knew now that she had no chance against Mimi now that she had reclaimed her sword. She quickly turned scared, and as she got back to her feet to attempt and fight her some more, she was forced to catch Mimi's weapon as it was thrust towards her, just inches from her heart.

In a last ditch effort to save herself, Sora began to plead with Mimi.

"Wait, Mimi, please! Please don't do this! I just wanted to be your friend! I didn't want to be lonely anymore!"

She struggled as hard as she could, clinging onto the sword with all her might as Mimi pushed it closer towards her chest, the glowing aura around the blade intensifying. . Sora pleadingly shook her head, a tear escaping her eye.

"Don't do this, please! I can't leave this body just yet! I'm so close to being whole again!"

That was all Mimi needed to hear. With one final push, she pushed the sword past her opponent's grip with her open palm, plunging the blade right into her heart. As soon as it hit flesh, the sword filled Sora with a light stronger than she had encountered. Every orifice of her dark body began to glow like a Christmas tree; even her eyes lit up as she let out one last wail of agony.

* * *

><p>The area was covered in a blinding flash, and when it cleared, Mimi was standing over Sora's barely conscious body. A profound silence fell, as Mimi shook her head, looking down at her sword, then back to Sora. There was no stab mark on her chest; there was not even any blood on her sword. What Mimi had really done was expunge Ophelia from out of Sora's body.<p>

All of a sudden, an uproar of thunderous cheers came from behind her, as Mimi's friends ran up and hugged her all over, graciously thanking her for such an amazing display of strength and courage.

"Ain't no hollaback girl!" Ms. 'Splosion Man spurted out.

"That was even better than any fireworks show!" Osaka dreamily said.

"Oh, you saved our friend, Mimi! You're a hero!" Chiyo exclaimed.

"Every doubt I had about you has officially gone away with that little fight, little Mimi!" Tomo added.

"Wait, guys. Where's Ophelia?" Sakaki questioned.

Everybody quieted down when they heard that, immediately scanning the area for any sign of the girl who had possessed Sora. But when Chiyo suddenly cried, "Look! Over there in the shadows!" everyone instantaneously looked in that direction to see Ophelia covered in darkness, save for the glow of her violet pupils. Clutching her chest as what appeared to be blood spurted from the wound she had gotten, she glared at Mimi, before vanishing in a shroud of dark clouds. _"Another day, Light Girl. Another day…"_

Amidst the descending chaos, Sora had woken up. The others turned to face her as she rubbed her head, and that's when she noticed the hole that she had punched Mimi through in her possessed state. Before she could ask if she was the cause, she then noticed the deep, bleeding gash down Mimi's side.

"Oh, Mimi…d-did I do that?"

Tears had already started streaming down her cheek, as she flung herself into Mimi's waiting arms, desperate to be held. "Mimi….I'm s-s-so s-sorry I hurt you. I-I-I had no control over anything. It was her that did all that stuff to you. I could never h-hurt you…"

"Shhhh…." Mimi hushed her friend's crying, lifting her chin so that they might look into each other's eyes. Then, a move nobody expected; Mimi leaned in, and planted a long, passionate kiss right onto Sora's lips. Surprised at first, she found herself returning the kiss, each girl holding each other close. Not surprisingly, the men of the group whooped it up, sans Owen.

After several long seconds of kissing, Sora and Mimi looked back at each other, Sora heavily blushing.

"Oh my….thank you, Mimi." The two girls smiled at each other, before earning another set of cheers from their other friends. Sora then told all that they would be going back inside, where Mimi would be given what she had rightfully deserved for saving everybody.

* * *

><p><span>An hour later…<span>

After resting up for a while, Mimi was now sitting down in the room she was given, eating some of the many sweets the others had given her. As she happily nibbled and suckled on a chocolate bar, she heard a knock on her door.

"Hey, Mimi? Could I come in, please?" It was Sora.

"Of course."

Sora sat down in front of Mimi, taking an open candy bar that Mimi had offered her. As the two finished their treats, Sora began to speak to her savior.

"Mimi…I can't even describe in words how amazed I am by you. I mean, meeting a ditzy, bubbly little girl that's the embodiment of Light? That's a marvel. But when the same girl shows off an astonishing display of power with a weapon none of us thought could be used, and saving me—the leader of this group of outcasts? That's a pure miracle."

Hearing such kindness come from her best friend, it made Mimi blush in happiness. "Aw, thanks, Sora. I didn't know my mere existence was so important to you guys."

"Are you kidding? You've made everything better here! You helped Miss Sakaki break out of that little shell of hers. You showed us that you're really no pushover. And most of all, you drove off a good piece of the dark forces that were haunting this place. But…that's one reason I came here to get you. The others and I wanted to know more about how you got here."

"Oh….okay. I'll do my best." As she stood back up, Sora requested, "Oh, and bring that sword with you," before leaving the room. Hearing this, Mimi turned to her sword, which she had hung on the wall by her bed. Carefully removing it from its holster, she caressed it in her hands for a moment, taking in the fact that it had been so long since she had used it. Another few seconds of remembrance passed before Mimi left the room, sword in hand, and headed for the front porch.

When she stepped out the front door, she found everybody, including Sora, seated before her. She jumped for a second.

"It's alright, Meems. We just want to know your story. We're all listening."

"O-Okay." Sitting down in front of her friends, she placed the sword by her side. Digging deep into the lost memories she had reclaimed, she began to tell of her entrance to this world.

"*sigh* Alright. I might go a little slow, since there's a lot to tell, but here goes:

When I was first born, the first thing I saw was this red evening haze, and a house behind me. It looked like a quaint little house, and of course, I wondered who could be living out there. But then, when I looked back in front of me, there was this silhouette of a man." She paused for a moment to clutch her head, trying to remember. "He-he started talking to me. He said that he had created me as his Light, that this was the world he had shaped with his imagination. He told me to "find the Four," so that he could be whole again." Everybody instantaneously gasped. They all knew who she was talking about, and they couldn't believe it.

"Oh my God, Mimi—you saw _Hi__m_?" Tomo gasped.

"Well….it was a guy that talked to me, so yeah, I guess I saw him. But who is He?"

"You don't know?" Chiyo added. "He's the one that made this world possible; the one that made _us_ possible. And He was the first person you saw when you came here? That's more than luck, Mimi."

"So he's really important to us all? Then where did he go?"

"That's why we're all worried, Mimi." Sora continued. "He vanished one day without a word, and this place quickly fell to the darkness. We thought we'd all be screwed, until you came along. So what else do you have to tell?"

"Well….when He told me I was his Light, I was a little confused at first. I didn't know I was so important to this world, but He took me under his wing, and he trained me in more martial arts and fighting styles than I can remember. I had done better than His own expectations; that's when He knew he had done the right thing in creating me. And…that's how I got this." She held up her sword for all to see. They all marveled at its sheer beauty, before Tomo once again added, "So you not only met Him, but he also gave you all those combat and magic tricks? You, Mimi, are something else."

"Well…this sword—He called it the Lightforce Sword. He told me that he had crafted it specifically for me to use; that I was the only one who could use it. It filled me with light energy, and it made me stronger than I ever was before. He told me that with this sword and my strength and heart, I would be nearly unstoppable. And that was the last I saw of Him; he had sent me here to help you guys. And that's all I remember now."

She felt less shy in front of everyone now, and her friends were certainly incredibly impressed with her story, giving her a small round of applause. But Mimi still had more:

"But I still don't know. What was he talking about when he told me to 'find the Four'?"

The others suddenly took on very grim looks, before Sora answered her question.

"The Four….boy, it's been a while since I heard that name. We've since forgotten almost everything about them, but they were our friends before He vanished. By any chance did He say anything about them to you?"

"Well, now that I think about it, I actually do remember him saying one final word to me before I left him: '_Who are the Four, you might be wondering, little Mimi? They are….or rather, were, my guardians. They watched over this land with me, and protected me as well. But they've split apart across the land for reasons even I myself don't know. That is why I leave you with this solemn mission: find the Four, reunite them with you and your new friends, and finally purge this land of the darkness that currently engulfs it. Alone, I am far too weak at the moment to do anything; but you, little Mimi, are a true army of one. Alone, you are formidable. But united with others, you are unstoppable. Now go. This new world awaits you.'" _

"They _helped_ Him? Even after all they've done to this place?"

"Well, that's what he told me. Too bad I have no clue where any of them are."

"You're a smart girl, Mimi; almost as smart as me!" Chiyo said. "I'm sure you could figure it out somehow!" Mimi smiled, before she let out a long yawn, which she had been holding back for quite some time.

"Alright, everyone. I think it's about time we all hit the hay. We've all been through quite a lot with Mimi's spectacular performance today, and we're all worn out." Everyone else nodded along with Sora, stretching as they stood back up and going back inside. But Sora suddenly pulled Mimi aside, a move which surprised Mimi.

"Hey, look, Mimi…about that kiss you gave me—I, uh…sorta liked it. It's the first time something like that's ever happened to me, and—God, I better make this quick." In a split second, Sora had kissed Mimi before pulling away, attempting to hide her blush. Both girls then giggled with each other, happy once more, before returning to their respective rooms, ready for a long night's sleep.

That night, Mimi dreamed…

* * *

><p><em>As Mimi woke up, she found herself in a place that was far from anywhere she recognized. The sky here was even redder and darker than it already was, with many lightning cracks arcing across the haze. What had been her bed was now a long slab of red, darkened rock. Feeling cold, hard earth against her cheek caused her to jump from the platform onto the hard rock. <em>

_As she looked all around her, Mimi saw there was absolutely no light in this place. She began to panic again, knowing she was far away from her friends or anyone that could help her. She tried calling out._

"_Hello! Anybody! Somebody! I don't want to be alone! Someone help me!" But it was no use. Her cries simply echoed throughout the vast canyons, and as she looked down over the cliff she was on, she saw a most horrifying sight: an ocean of blood, massive waves crashing against the canyon walls. _

_As she fell on her bottom and backed up from her nightmare, she suddenly bumped into someone. She slowly turned around to see the silhouette of a man. But it wasn't Him. This shadow was much different; the man was slightly taller than Him, and wore a hooded cape. On her right hand, she saw some sort of glove-like apparatus. As the man turned to look down at Mimi, she froze in place as she saw only two large, glowing red eyes looking back down at her; and she could feel him staring deep into her soul. _

_He spoke to her, but when he spoke, Mimi could tell he was not human; his voice was of a warped, demon-like nature._

"_So, it was He who tasked you with finding the Four?" She shakily nodded, "Y-yes." _

_Mimi couldn't see the figure's face from under the darkness of his hood, but as his eyes narrowed, she could feel a most evil grin form on his face. A grim chuckle escaped his lips. "Well—I certainly found you. And I shall certainly be keeping my eye on you…if you survive the other three." The chuckle blew up into a full cackle, as from the apparatus on his hand, five long, cold steel knives shot out, ready to slice. _

_Just as he raised his weapon hand up, ready to strike, Mimi screamed and closed her eyes, awaiting her death…_

* * *

><p>But it never came. In a heartbeat, Mimi had sprung up in her bed, still alive and back in her room, herself and her bed sheets drenched in sweat. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, relieved that it was just a bad dream.<p>

But yet, in a sense, Mimi felt as if it were not a dream; that she had really felt the presence of the hooded figure, but was pulled back to reality by some unseen force just before he struck her. Stripping her sweat-drenched sheets off of her, she stood up in the middle of her room and stretched. As she looked in the mirror, she pouted at her dismal reflection.

But then, she heard it: a familiar voice emanating from beyond.

"_Mimi….can you hear me?" _She gasped.

"Is it really you?"

"_Yes, Mimi. You're speaking to He himself." _

"B-but I thought the others said you had vanished?"

"_Mm, not quite. I've just been in a weakened state ever since all of the events that have transpired since the Four's disappearance and your birth." _

"Oh…well, what do you need?"

"_Mimi, I could not be more proud of you, than from the way I saw you handle the Lightforce Sword. Truly, I made the right choice in bestowing its power upon you; and it shows from the display of bravery and strength you showed in saving your friend from the dark forces overshadowing her." _

"Oh, my...I've never felt like I was so important before. But I have no idea where any of the Four are. I don't wanna let you down..."

"_As your friends said, you're a very intelligent girl. But you also have something else that can help you." _She looked over at where her sword was, but saw that it had somehow disappeared. She did not panic, but instead thought hard of where it could have gone. As she thought, however, she suddenly felt a weight in her hand. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised; she had consciously summoned the Lightforce Sword to herself in a bright, yet brief flash of light. Thinking hard again, she thought of it vanishing, and it did just that. Smiling at her new discovery, He continued speaking to her.

"_You see, Mimi? With the sword, you have no reason to fear a challenge. It will always point you in the right direction. Now, I must go. And you, little Mimi, have a task to fulfill."_

"Wait! Don't go just yet!"

"_Hm?"_

"I…I had a dream. I was in these rocky canyons with an ocean of blood, and I saw…this man. I couldn't see his face, except for two red eyes, and…he nearly hit me with this bladed glove thingy."

She waited for an answer, before He revealed something to her.

"_So you have seen him, have you? He has appeared to you?" _

"Uh-huh."

"_Then he is still alive—the oldest of the Four. He must have felt your presence after you saved Sora. There's no doubt on my mind that he will tell the others. Although, knowing his nature, he'll probably bide his time until you reach his domain. But—argh….I can't speak anymore. Talking to you like this for so long greatly drains what little power I have left. I must go now. Good luck and farewell, little Mimi." _

And He was gone.

* * *

><p>Mimi was left standing in the middle of her room, alone. But with all that He had told her, she knew now that she could not stand around anymore; she had to find and re-unite the Four. And she had to do it now. Re-dressing herself in her sweatpants and white, sleeveless belly shirt, she tiptoed out of her room for the front door, trying her best not to awaken the others. As she sneaked about, she practiced summoning her sword and sending it away. As she kept doing it, it got progressively easier to do so. By the time she had found her exit, she could summon her weapon in less than a heartbeat. Incredibly proud of herself, she began to turn the knob, when:<p>

"Mimi? Is that you?" Mimi whipped around in fright to see Sora, standing by the adjacent hallway in a red nightgown. "What are you doing up this early?"

Mimi could see she couldn't lie to her best friend, so she told Sora the whole story.

"I…I had a dream—no, not a dream, a vision. I saw this man in a hooded cape, who said that he was watching me, along with the rest of the Four. But before he could hurt me, I was pulled out of the dream by...H-Him. H-He spoke to me again. He said I had to go find the Four now. I can't let him down after all that he did; he gave me life, Sora. He made me possible! He taught me everything he knew, and made me his Light! I look up to him, Sora! I can't let him down…I've gotta fulfill this destiny of mine; to save this world."

"Then go, Mimi."

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I'd ask that you please not stop me—what?"

"I know of your connection with him, Mimi. I know you and Him share a bond—both mental and physical. And I know how much he means to you; how much you look up to him for all that he's done for you, for us, and for this world. This is your destiny, Mimi; I won't stop you. I know in the end, you still care for me and the others, no matter where you go." Mimi blushed once more.

"So go. Find the Four. Save this world. We'll be praying for you." And with that, Sora and Mimi shared one final kiss and a smile, before Mimi went out the front door, and down the road from the hideout; before long, her light figure disappeared into the darkness of the surrounding woods.

"Good luck, Light Girl…"

* * *

><p><span>The following morning….<span>

"Guys! Everybody, wake up! Mimi's gone!" Chiyo's scream was the first thing that had awoken everybody. A massive rumbling of feet scattering to get up was heard as everybody, still in their respective pajamas, made a mad dash to Mimi's now empty room. Everybody was left aghast at the disappearance.

"First Him, now Mimi! No! I was just beginning to like that girl!" Tomo cried.

"A runner! On the run! Ver' fast!" 'Splosion Man babbled.

"Maybe she turned into the Moon, like Ophie said I was gonna do? Y'all had to agree with that." Osaka said. But then, Jimmy opened his mouth, ready to blame their friend for leaving them.

"I knew it! I knew we couldn't frickin' trust her! She buttered us all up, and just as we think she'll help us, she takes off on us! **LIAR!"** He emphasized the last part heavily, before naturally being shut up by Owen, who continued for everyone else.

"Come on, guys. Surely, she couldn't have just left without having a good darn reason for doing so. She must've told somebody that she was leaving!"

"She did…" Everybody immediately hushed, and turned to face Sora, the last one walking down the hall with Sakaki by her side. She had a very solemn look on her face, and as she faced her followers, she knew she could say nothing but the truth.

"I caught Mimi leaving in the middle of the night last night. And she did have a truthful reason why; she told me that He had told her to find the Four again. She went into hysterics, telling me she owed her life to Him for all that he did for her, especially giving her life. She said it was her destiny to fulfill His wishes and save this world, so…I did it. I let her go."

Everybody silenced themselves once again, broken then by Chiyo's realization.

"Sora's right, guys. If He spoke to Mimi, then she would have no excuse not to leave. I know she can save this world, right, guys?" The others soon agreed in unison, turning towards each other and conversing on the matter at hand. The monotony, however, was soon broken by Tomo.

"Well, why are we just standing here? We should go follow her!" Osaka and Chiyo chipped in with her.

"Yeah! C'mon, y'all; we saved her, and she repaid the favor. Now we gotta do the same for her!" Soon, the others followed suit, all willing to risk their lives to follow their savior.

Sakaki then spoke to all, in place of Sora.

"Guys, now listen up. Mimi's changed all of us; she's brought us all together as a true team. She even helped me overcome my shyness. It's like I can finally talk to people again."

"But why were you all clammed up in the first place?" Jimmy questioned.

"Because you tried to force the words out of my mouth all the time! Mimi could see I didn't want to talk, and she respected that! She knew I was shy, yet she didn't get up in my face when I didn't respond!"

Jimmy jumped back from hearing Sakaki assert herself, but she immediately reverted back to her usual calm nature.

"Anyway, again, Mimi's simple presence here was enough to change us all. And the fact that He—the one that made us all possible—looks over her is really something special. I think we owe it to ourselves to try and follow her."

Sora, who had been wearing a worried look as this whole conversation transpired, was spontaneously filled with a brave, courageous feeling. In an instant, she had run back to her room, gotten dressed, and returned with a new Bo staff in hand.

"Let's go, team! We've got a world to aid!" A thunderous cheering fit, and everybody was running out the door, into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden Spirit

**Chapter 2: Hidden Spirit**

Mimi had begun walking through the dark forests, now evidently far from the sanctuary she had been awakened in. Her mind was set; she was going to fulfill her destiny, find the Four and purify this land to what it once was. She was going to make Him—her mentor and creator—proud.

But she had only ventured a mile or so into the woods, when she ran into a problem. It was not so much an issue of navigation; as Chiyo had pointed out to her, Mimi could most likely find the way through very easily. The real problem at hand was that the further she went into the brush, the darker it got. And as the darkness grew, she began to feel weaker—both physically and mentally.

Her brain felt as if it were being crushed in a vice, as she clutched the sides of her head in pain. She began to stumble around the path, trying to keep herself straight, but her vision was blurring heavily. She eventually backed into a deadened tree, trying to relieve herself of the immense pain she was being subjected to.

Whilst whimpering in pain, her trembled footsteps guided her right out of the darkness and into a patch of moonlight that was shining through the canopy of branches above her. In a split instant, Mimi's splitting migraine vanished, and she felt well again. Looking above, there was a bright full moon, looming above her like a silent guardian.

She wondered how this could possibly be; how she could go from keeling over in pain from a headache, to being just fine seconds later. Then, a thought crossed her: Him.

She asked, "Did…..did you do that?" A resounding hearty chuckle rang from the ethereal nothingness.

"_While I control many aspects of this world, the moon above you came about in its natural orbit. But I'm glad I caught you just after you felt that headache of yours. There is something about you that you ought to know. While it cannot kill you, staying in the darkness for too long a period of time will affect your mental and physical well-being. Mind you, you don't always have to be within any source of light 24/7, and you can still withstand any amount of dark energy that is thrown against you. If you can balance the amount of time you spend within light and darkness, you'll make great strides, little Mimi." _And He was gone again.

Mimi stood there in the glow of the moon, closing her eyes, swaying her head to the sound of the wind against the trees. The whistling of the wind lulled her into a peaceful state. But after maintaining this bliss, she felt something brush against her foot. Gasping softly in surprise, she looked down to see what broke her trance.

Lying against her foot, moved along only by the wind, was a hat; a dark red top hat with what appeared to be a small bullet belt wrapped around the hatband, secured by a gear-shaped buckle. Before it could get blown away from her, Mimi managed to just barely grab the rim of the hat. She curiously held it and looked over every part of it, like a child would marvel over a new toy.

"I don't know why this found me, or why I found it, but maybe I'll find whoever owns it….if there's anyone else out here."

That's when her hand began to glow, a translucent orb of light enveloping it. The orb grew bigger until it was roughly half the size of her head. When she held her hand up in front of her, the orb separated itself from her, hovering in front of her, as if it could feel her.

Mimi heard angelic whispers coming from the orb she had spawned. It was only when she realized why it had shown itself that she was overcome with fear, then relief; as she had been looking over the strange hat, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking, which was further into the forest, where the branches on the trees had gotten so thick that they all but completely blocked out the moon's illumination. She figured it explained why she felt another small headache before.

Wherever Mimi walked, the orb of light stayed right in front of her, almost as if it were guiding her through the shadows of the forest. Basking in its small warmth as she walked, she suddenly asked, "Do you ever get the feeling that somebody's watching us, little guy?" Her response was another angelic whisper. Then, the orb swung out in a large arc around her, as if to show that there was no one else around.

This got a small giggle out of Mimi. "Looking out for me, are you?" The orb chirped, and she smiled as she continued walking down the beaten path. But even with a sentient lantern guiding her, she could not help but look around her to double check her surroundings. She could swear she heard a raspy, sultry voice speaking to her. But when she looked around, there was still not a soul in sight.

It wasn't until her little ball of light stopped in its hovering trajectory that Mimi's suspicions heightened again. She looked to her sides again, checking for any one sign that something would jump her. But once again, there was only darkness around her, and nothing more.

Thinking it was safe, she turned to face her light again, but was greeted instead by a wispy silhouette; it was shaped like a woman, and oozing darkness. It spoke in an awfully familiar voice.

"_Miss me, Light Girl?" _

"Ophelia?"

"_Well, at least you remember me. But know this: you and your friends are all misled in thinking that you could possibly save this land. And you yourself are definitely out of your mind if you think you could possibly defeat me, let alone reach my little world. You'd better just give up while you have the chance, kid. There's nothing here but fallen hope now." _

Mimi would not be deterred, even if Ophelia's words hurt.

"No! I won't give up! I won't let this land fall to the darkness!"

She couldn't see any facial features on the silhouette, but she could feel it glaring at her.

"_Sooner or later, you're going to regret ever pursuing me. But we'll see, little Mimi. We'll see…" _And the shadow dissipated.

An angry look appeared on Mimi's face, that of displeasure. She refused to let anything keep her spirit down. She knew she had to keep pressing onward. But something was keeping her from moving from that spot; rather, something she heard was worrying her.

Somewhere in the trees, someone—or something—was groaning in pain. Her gaze immediately shot upwards, trying to locate the source of the noise, her head tilting left and right rapidly as she spun around, looking.

After a minute of finding nothing once again, she heard the groaning sound again, this time sounding much louder and more pained in delivery. Again, she frantically searched the thick brush of the trees to find whatever was causing it. And this time, it came to her. Out of the blackness, a large body fell to the ground in front of Mimi, causing her to shriek in shock.

Mimi believed the body to be lifeless, until she saw what she knew was its chest rising and falling, still breathing. She was understandably frightened that the thing was possibly gravely injured, but maintained a serene composure. Her ball of light had now begun to float well above her, giving her a good aura of light to look over the body.

But to her surprise, the thing began to groan again, managing to get up onto its feet: all four of them, as it was soon revealed to Mimi. As the light shone down upon it, Mimi was left looking at a small black Pegasus pony, roughly about half her size, with a red pointy mane and tail with a white streak down the middle, and stinging red eyes.

Despite having a great number of cuts, scrapes, and bruises from being entangled in the prickly branches, the pony looked relatively unharmed; no broken bones or fractured limbs anywhere. Deciding it to be okay, Mimi began to speak calmly to it, as it shook its frazzled mane straight.

"Hey, are you okay, little guy? Let me just look at your wounds. I won't hurt you…"

Then, to her utter shock, she heard—

"I think I'll be okay, kid. I think I'm just missing something."

This resulted in an immediate yelp and a jump back from Mimi, who was stuttering her words, attempting to register what she just heard.

"D-did you just t-talk?"

"'course, I did! What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, n-nothing. It just surprised me, that's all."

"Well, I guess it's okay now that somebody found me. Feels like I've been up there for God knows how long, and on top of that, I think I lost—my hat!" The pony stopped abruptly, his eyes shooting right for the hat that Mimi was holding.

"Hey, that's my hat! How did you find it!?"

"Find it? It found me!"

"Well, give it here, then!" The pony jolted forward, snatching the hat out of Mimi's hands in his mouth, and flicked it upwards, where it landed on top of his head, on the left side of his mane. "Now then, what's a little girl like you doing out in the big bad woods? Shouldn't you be home?"

That comment irked Mimi, as she wasn't too happy with being called little, and she responded, "Hey, I'm not a little girl! I'll have you know that I'm on a quest to rid this world of the darkness!"

Hearing this, the pony tried as best he could to stifle a laugh, but could not help but guffaw at such a statement.

"Hah! You? Save this world? Be any more upfront, why don't you! Ha, ha!"

"Don't laugh! It's true! I was sent by Him!"

Hearing that name caused the pony to immediately stop laughing, and eye Mimi with an interested look.

"Did you just say 'Him'? Are you serious? HE sent you on this 'quest'?"

"I'm dead serious, little pony."

The pony said nothing for a while, just looking at Mimi with the most confounded look ever. After a while, he said, "Okay then. So you were created by Him, as the Light to this Darkness, I'd hazard a guess?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Alright. So you think that you're actually one of His creations? Prove it!"

The pony shut his eyes, concentrating, and his hat began to glow with a red hazing aura. Behind Mimi, a large growth of roots began to glow with the same aura. With this magic, the pony started to lift the roots out of their holding spot in the ground, and levitate them towards Mimi.

The roots were raised up above their target, poised to attack. As they shot forward at her like a whip, Mimi suddenly spun around, a flash of light from her hand forming, and a slicing sound following afterwards. The pony was now looking, mouth agape and eyes wide, at Mimi, Lightforce Sword in hand, gleaming in the moonlight, and tiny bits of root now falling to the ground.

With the meager threat dealt with, Mimi found herself pointing the sword towards the pony now. He looked up at Mimi, then to the sword. The pony could see the light energy reflecting off of it, and it then knew right away just who Mimi was.

"That sword—oh my God, the weapon He himself made is in your hands. So it's true! You DO belong to Him!"

Mimi's stance went from attack mode to her usual calm self, smiling. As she called the sword away, the pony suddenly flung himself in front of her feet, groveling.

"Please forgive me, girl! Surely, you can understand that I get real tense whenever I lose my hat, and you can excuse my threatening you! I didn't know that you were the Light that He sent!"

"It's okay, little guy. I know I was a bit headstrong in saying who I am, but it's true. He created me as His Light, and gave me the Lightforce Sword."

"Oh, my—well, in that case, it's in my duty as His companion to help you get through this world!"

"Wait, wait. You know Him?"

"Yes! I'm always with Him…or, well, _was_ always with Him, before he vanished. *sigh* He would always call me his "little buddy."

"Hey, He's not dead, little guy! He spoke to me. He saved me from this really bad vision. He's the one who tasked me with saving this world!"

Hearing his own friend's existence was still evident, the pony gasped as deeply as his lungs could allow.

"He's alive? In this world? Really!?"

"Well, he said he was in a weakened state ever since the Four separated, but yes, he's still alive. But I've got to find the Four if I want any chance of purging the darkness from this land."

"The Four!? Child, do you even know what kind of power those sorts of people hold? Even with that sword, you couldn't possibly face them alone, even on their own!"

"You'd be amazed at what I'm capable of, actually." Mimi smiled again.

The pony cleared his throat. "Well, that settles it. If He's still alive, and He sent you as the savior of this world, then obviously, He must know what he's doing. So in that case, I'm going to stick with you, like I always did with Him."

"Well…okay!" Mimi kneeled down to give the pony a hug, which he promptly returned.

"Alright, kid. Let's go." The pony started to continue down the path with Mimi following right next to him.

"Well, you've certainly proved that you're deserving of that sword. Do you have a name, girl?"

"I'm Mimi. And you are?"

"Shadow Rush. May seem like the name an enemy would have, but believe me, I'd fight for your life now that I know who you are, Mimi."

As they continued walking, the brush above grew less dense, and the moonlight shone down on the two once again. That's when Mimi noticed an odd symbol on each of Shadow Rush's flanks. It looked to be a light blue curved-in arc, with three points on the outside of the arc.

"Hey, what's that symbol?"

"Hm?" Shadow Rush looked back at his flank. "Oh, that? That's just the mark that He gave me. It represents one half of the insignia that, in itself, represents He himself."

"He has an insignia?"

"Oh, yes, Mimi. The day that mark makes its resurge in this world is the day that He'll make his return. I just don't know how it could possibly be brought on again."

"So do you know anything about the Four?"

*sigh*…All former, yet still, colleagues of Him. When He vanished, they separated due to strains between their friendships. If He deemed it right upon you, then reuniting them is our one shot at purifying this world."

"Well, do you remember where any of them could be?"

"Ergh…my brain is still hazy after being left up in that tree for so long, and…well, I'd rather not go into it. I'm afraid my memory's a little hazy. But we should be safe. Just need to watch for the—"They stopped. Right in front of the two, there stood a tree, covered in what looked to be large, deep cuts in the wood. Mimi didn't know what to make of it, but Shadow Rush looked like he knew exactly what created them. "—the, uh…scratch marks…oh, someone's most definitely been here. We're going in the right direction; just down this path."

"How do you know this won't be a trap, Rush?"

"I'd never lead you into a trap, Mimi, but we should be on our best guard. So be ready when we see anyone."

"And if they see us first?"

Shadow Rush didn't answer that for a second, trying to find an answer that—in Mimi's case—wouldn't be too much to be scared for.

"…They won't."

They started down the path, where the dirt under them was starting to show signs of bloodstains; fluids from a fresh kill, it looked. But Mimi was certain it couldn't be the blood of an animal. Still, she would not be frightened so easily.

After watching their steps down the path for a good time, Rush and Mimi found what they believed to be the end of the path; before them, there was a sort of gate made from black brambles and roses. On each side of the gate were burning torches, crafted from lush growths of plants. Beyond it was hard dirt, lit by more torches.

The two didn't hear it before, but they certainly did now; beyond the gate, there was but a faint sound of somebody playing some sort of stringed instrument. A grungy sort of tone echoed through the trees; a tone that would unnerve even the bravest of souls, a tone that might serve as a warning to what was to come.

Mimi looked to Shadow Rush, and he looked at her as well, both with uneasy gazes.

"Oh, there's someone in there, alright. There's no dishonor in turning back now if you aren't up to the challenge, Mimi."

"No, Rush. I was sent to find the Four, and that's what I'm going to do. I won't back down from a fight if I have to."

"You've got courage, Mimi. Normally, anyone would just back away from this kind of situation. But maybe you really _have_ got His brand of bravery."

"I wasn't made by Him for nothing!" She said playfully.

And with that, Mimi and Shadow Rush entered the gate, continuing down the beaten path.

As they trudged further in, the sound of the music being played became closer and closer, as if drawing them in. Many of the trees they passed along the way were covered in the same deep scratch marks the two had seen earlier. They appeared to be increasing in volume and depth, becoming deeper engraved into the bark.

"We're close now. Someone's been sharpening their weapon on these trees."

After continuing to follow the sound of the music further in, they found the source at last; where the path ended, there was a large grove, in the center of a dense clearing of trees. An outcrop of rocks stood near the far end of the grove with a spring of water splashing down in a waterfall, sparkling in the hazed moonlight above. A large wooden shrine stood in front of the pond that the waterfall had created.

Mimi stood by the entrance; unmoved physically, but mentally entranced by the sights and sounds before her. It wasn't until Shadow Rush prodded her knee that her gaze was directed to a wooden platform a short distance from the shrine. Surrounded by more of the homemade torches, it wasn't the symbol identical to the one on Rush's flank that grabbed Mimi's attention; it was _who _was on the platform that got her focus.

There sat the music maker; a girl strumming calmly on her instrument. She was all but oblivious to her surroundings, choosing instead to focus on the music she was creating. The hood from her jet-black sleeveless hoodie shrouded the top half of her head and face in shadows, while the rest of her was clad in dark blue jeans and sneakers.

"Well…at least we know she's home." Rush said with a tinge of fear in his tone. "Now we don't want to alert her to our presence, so we should find a way to sneak around her or—hey, where'd you go?"

When he turned around, Mimi wasn't next to him anymore; when he looked back, he was horrified to see her advancing towards the playing girl.

Shadow Rush began to whisper as loudly as he could to Mimi, staying right by the entrance, out of sight.

"_Mimi, get back here right now! She's not what she seems!" _

But she continued onwards; either because she did not hear Rush, or she was focused on finding out who this girl was. Whatever the case was, Rush was scared for what could happen to Mimi. He continued to call out to her from behind cover.

"_You come back here right now, young lady! You could get hurt if you don't know what you're doing!" _He doubled back on that last sentence. _"Oh, dear God, I'm sounding like_ _a father to her—Mimi, no!" _

His train of thought was cut off by the sight of Mimi kneeling before the instrument player, looking more closely at her instrument.

Upon closer inspection, Mimi saw that it was a guitar; a black Flying V with ebony strings and neck. Etched on the body was a frightening but entrancing symbol; a bleeding heart surrounded by two grinning skulls. The girl playing the guitar was completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Mimi sat there for a second more, observing the girl's playing. Her fingers slid up and down the frets slowly, playing more grungy notes and chords. The song she was creating would make even the heaviest of stoners feel completely gone from themselves. Mimi leaned in for a closer look at the instrument.

Too close.

The girl snapped her head up, revealing two bright, stinging red eyes under the darkness of her hood. They cast a disturbed glare in Mimi's direction, causing Mimi to jolt back, aghast. The girl growled at her, vanishing under a black veil of shadows, her guitar following suit.

"Mimi!"

Shadow Rush's abrupt call brought Mimi back to Earth with the situation. Rush galloped to her side, as fast as his little legs could take him. He looked nearly horrified with what had just transpired. He spoke in a flustered tone to her.

"I don't think you've quite grasped who you're dealing with right now!"

"I-I'm sorry! I was just trying to be gentle!"

"Gentle!? There's almost no being gentle with someone like that!"

A chilling wind blew through. The light emanating from the fire around Rush and Mimi blew out like candles. When the breeze subsided, there stood only the torches around the wooden platform. Only that circle of light stood out in the near-pitch black darkness.

"_You shouldn't have come here, little girl." _

A cold voice spoke to the two from the darkness. It was the girl; but where she was speaking from, neither of them knew. But Mimi did know one thing; if the girl was coming, she'd be ready.

Calling the Lightforce Sword to her, Mimi slowly did an about face around the platform, looking for any signs of motion through the curtain of blackness surrounding herself. Shadow Rush scanned their surroundings, as well, only a little more warily, as if he knew exactly where their enemy was, but couldn't tell Mimi exactly.

They both stood back to back, strafing in a small circle with their backs to each other. But nothing emerged from the dark; not a soul. Deeming it safe, Mimi and Rush faced each other again.

"Somehow, it still doesn't feel right, Mimi. But at least we lost her for no…no….n-n-no—oh my god…"

Mimi raised an eyebrow at Rush's sudden freezing up. He was tensed; knees knocking against each other. He backed up a step away from Mimi, and it wasn't long until the reason why presented itself.

"_I'm right here …"_

Mimi heard it; a dark voice from right behind her. The air around her seemed to turn to ice. And when she turned around to face the speaker, she jumped back in fright. It was the girl, standing with her back to Mimi, arms crossed. As she unfolded her arms to face Mimi and Rush, that's when Mimi saw it.

On the girl's right hand was a glove-like apparatus; constructed of black plate metal. She clenched her glove fist tight, and when it unfurled, five cold steel knives shot from each finger of the knife, each gleaming in the moonlight.

Just like the glove that the man from Mimi's vision had on.

A most unnerving smile formed on the girl's half-shrouded face; however, Mimi was not as stirred as Rush was, who was currently cowering behind Mimi.

"You don't scare me. Shadow Rush and I won't back down from a fight."

The girl scoffed.

"So you're brave. How riveting. You've already found my grove, so what do you want from me? A hug?"

"_Mimi, I really think we shouldn't—" _

"You say something, horse?" Rush's whispering was cut off by the girl.

"I will have you know that I am a pony! There's a big difference!" He retorted, but shrunk back behind Mimi after she threw a discerning look at him. Mimi continued.

"Now then—I don't want to fight you. But I'll have you know that I was sent to find you by—"

"Wait. _You _were sent to find _me?"_

"That's right! It's been said that I'm the one who will save this world as the Light!"

For that moment, only a small breeze blowing through the trees could be heard. Nobody said anything.

Then the girl before them started laughing; starting as a barely audible giggle, before progressing into a loud laughing fit. The girl had to clutch her chest to keep herself steady, but when she was done, she snorted and looked back at Mimi.

"Are you actually serious? You? The Light that will 'save us all' is a little girl like you?"

"I've already gone through this with Shadow Rush here. Yes, I'm Light. I was sent to fulfill my destiny by—"

Another eruption of laughter cut Mimi off once again.

"Ha, HA! Do you really expect me to take you seriously!? Now, really, where's the real Light?"

Frustrated yet determined, Mimi whipped out her sword, which too gleamed in the showering moonlight. The sword's energy shimmered all about its presence, giving its target a wake-up.

"…Okay, so you ARE the Light. You've got to be shitting me…"

Cautiously lowering her weapon, Mimi stood her ground.

"I don't want any more problems, so reveal yourself to me!"

"Hmph. Like you haven't already got a problem yourself, Light Girl."

Complying, the girl pulled her hood off, revealing herself to Mimi and Shadow Rush. What they saw was definitely a shock. Whereas they were expecting some form of horrible demon to be under the veil, there was instead the face of a pale, light grey-skinned girl with placid blue eyes.

Then another feature of the girl presented itself; two big red Japanese characters on the front of her hoodie, glowing vibrant red. Together, they spelled out one single word: "onryo."

_Spirit._

As the girl unfurled her long, flowing black hair, Mimi asked the only thing that was on the tip of her tongue.

"You're a…ghost?"

"Well, technically, I'm a girl that's been brought back from the spirit realm to continue my life due to a curse or whatever. But, yeah. You could say I'm a ghost."

Mimi and Shadow Rush said nothing. They were trying to fathom what they were up against. The girl then said to them, rather indignantly, "What? Were you expecting some kind of monster? Oh, wait—yeah, that's exactly what I am!"

Mimi was certain she heard the girl's voice tremble in that last sentence, as if she were not happy with what she was.

"Hey, you're no monster…" She let her sword arm fall limp, approaching the girl with a comforting hand. "Let's just sit and talk about this. I can help you."

"NO!" The girl suddenly exploded. Her blue eyes reverted back to an angry red with black pupils. "Nobody can understand what I've been through! Not even a clueless little girl like you!" And without so much as a hint, she was gone in a flash of black; literally the blink of an eye.

"_So now, let me show you what it's like to face the darkness."_

Mimi was forced to get back on guard again. She held her sword close, keeping it pointed out in front of her. That way, she would be ready if the girl jumped her. Turning around in a small circle, she scanned every inch of the trees looking for her opponent.

She didn't have to wait long. From out of the brush above, Mimi heard a horrid croaking, gurgling noise. Her head snapped up towards the canopy of the woods, and there, crawling on the underside of a thick overhanging branch was her opponent. Shadow Rush prodded her knee to gain her attention in that moment of observation.

"Trust me, Mimi. You're going to want to move!"

But she couldn't. The shock of seeing her aggressor snap her head around in a 180-degree angle so that it faced backwards from the front of her body had frozen her in place. And from the girl's throat, there came that same horrid croaking noise; a death rattle. The spirit girl's eyes grew wide as her rattle grew more intense, her gaping maw almost black as night inside.

Because Mimi was unable to react in that moment, she was helpless as the girl suddenly released her hold on the branch, and plummeted towards her like a cannonball. It was only due to Shadow Rush's suddenly pulling her away that kept her from being flattened.

The girl crashed hard into the hard dirt; the impact was such that it cracked and snapped every limb in her body, all of it audible to both Rush and Mimi. They froze in place, unsure if the body would jump back up and surprise them.

When no movement from the body occurred for a few more seconds, the two thought they might be in the clear; that is, until the body made a sudden croak. Immediately, their eyes were on it again. Just like that, the girl's bones started to graphically snap back into their respective sockets, starting from the feet up.

Gradually, the girl began to stand up, starting from a slouched position, her upper body on the ground, to a normal bent over stance, her limbs reforming and rebuilding. When at last she was back to an upright standing pose, she grabbed her head with both hands, and snapped it back to its proper orientation with a loud, wet crack.

The girl chuckled at Mimi.

"Just try and hurt me, Light Girl. I'm nearly indestructible."

The girl jumped high into the clearing, her hair breezing behind her in the evening gusts. She seemingly hung there for a second, as if time slowed down, before falling back down to Earth, weapon hand poised to strike. Shadow Rush immediately dove out of the way, but Mimi stood there, as if asking to be struck down.

"What are you thinking, Mimi!? Move!"

But she didn't. She stood as still as a statue, looking up. Rush was about to protest again, until he noticed she was holding the Lightforce Sword behind her. She was looking for the precise moment to counter-attack.

The girl rocketed out of the sky, giving a battle shout as she zeroed in on little Mimi. That was just what Mimi was waiting for. Mere milliseconds before she was struck, Mimi swung her sword out, deflecting the girl's own swing from her bladed glove. Sparks flew from their weapons in a stunning display, bringing the two girls back to their feet, staring each other down.

"You wouldn't think of trying that again, would you, spirit?"

"Oh, don't even try me, Light Girl! You're crazy if you think you can beat me!" Mimi gasped. She had heard those same words come out of Ophelia's mouth. She almost was caught in reminiscing when the girl took another swing at her, which she just barely managed to dodge.

The two then properly squared off, swinging their respective blades towards each other, each side parrying the other with the greatest of ease. Sparks continued to fly everywhere, grunts of exertion sounded off, and metal met metal with clanging force.

Mimi was putting up as good a fight as she could, but her spiritual aggressor certainly wasn't letting up. She swung even harder at Mimi, her red eyes glowing like the sharpest daggers. She was pushing Mimi back with her attacks, which were becoming more aggressive by the second.

Eventually, Mimi was brought down to her knees, forced to clench her sword with both hands and hold it up as the girl continued to lay into her. Mimi was trapped now; unable to move, unable to do anything other than feebly hold her sword up to keep the girl at bay.

"Ngh! Just give up! You can't outlast me forever!"

The girl seemed to be succeeding over Mimi. The poor girl was now straining heavily, sweat beads rolling down her head. Even with the odds against her, though, Mimi would not concede.

As the girl raised her weapon up for one last swing, Mimi decided to counter-attack. But as she hoisted herself back up to her feet, she was forced to dodge yet again, as the girl seemed to strike with unbelievable speed; as if she had moved in and out of the darkness within another blink of the eye.

The girl smiled, knowing she would win. But before she could finish her prey off, she stopped, dead in place. Mimi stopped shielding herself to see what had happened, and was equally surprised. The girl's bladed glove had been frozen just as the girl had started swinging. It was being encased in a dark red orb that was crackling with dark energy.

"Hey, what gives!?"

The girl naturally began to struggle against her magical restraint, thrashing all about to try and break free. Mimi turned around, and she saw Shadow Rush, his hat aglow and vibrant in red light.

"Rush!"

"Kid, I don't know how much longer I can hold this spell! Do something!"

Mimi had to act. Shadow Rush was right. In time, the girl would break through her restraint and come after her again. Thinking fast, she held her hands up in front of her, light energy shining off of them now. Focusing hard, Mimi channeled that energy towards the girl, her body being covered in a bright, white outline.

Before the girl knew it, she felt her feet leaving the ground. Shadow Rush let his hold go, watching as their former attacker was now being lifted higher and higher into the air. Her formerly confident attitude was now being replaced by fear. She started yelping as she was hoisted up.

"Aaah! Wait! I can't handle heights when I'm like this! Put me down!"

But Mimi had a different motive in mind. Moving her hands all about, she levitated the girl's body all around like a string-less marionette. Then with a flick of her wrists, the girl was sent flying into a tree.

Then another tree.

And another.

And yet another.

Wood cracked, and branches broke as the girl was continuously thrown into tree after countless trees by Mimi's light magic. Shadow Rush just stood back in amazement at Mimi's display of concentration and exertion of her power. How, he thought, could someone like her have such an amount of power within herself?

By this point, the girl's entire body was being pushed to its limits, her bones and limbs being subject to extreme force. So Mimi decided to bring the fight to an end, throwing her hands down, slamming her enemy face first into the hard dirt, her bones snapping all over again.

The girl was panting heavily. She could barely move now, and she was still wishing great harm upon Mimi. Managing to lift her head up, she shot a red-eyed glare at Mimi, and growled under her breath.

"_I…hate…you."_

"You started it. So now, I'll end it."

Using her telekinesis again, Mimi lifted the broken girl up into the air again, and began walking her towards the bonfire in the center of the grove, Shadow Rush following close behind. When the girl saw this, she struggled to regenerate her broken limbs, whipping her head back and forth between Mimi and the fire to close the distance.

Unfortunately, by the time the girl's last arm bone had snapped into its proper socket, she was now hovering directly over her own bonfire. Mimi had a fire of her own within her eyes, and a look on her face that showed she was dead set on winning this battle. The girl finally broke down, and began pleading with Mimi.

"No, no, no, wait! Please don't do this, Light Girl! If you let me go now, I promise I won't hurt you again! I'll find another forest to haunt, far away from here! Just p-please don't kill me!" And a tear slipped out of her eye; a sign of surrender.

Mimi, however, would not fall for the girl's trickery, be it feigning innocence or not. With her free hand, she directed her focus onto the blaze in front of her.

"Light! Burn my enemy in righteous fire!"

The fire rose up higher and higher, quickly skyrocketing upwards, catching the girl in its combustible wake. A bloodcurdling scream pierced the night as she was burnt alive in Mimi's telekinetic grasp. Shadow Rush had to cover his eyes with one hoof to shield his view from this display.

The fire crackled and roared, soon drowning out the girl. Mimi held it up for but a few moments longer, before she dropped to the ground, spent. Rush trotted towards her, and put a hoof on her back to help her breathe.

"Are you okay, Mimi? You sure sapped up a lot of your energy there."

"I'm…f-fine, Rush. Just need a second to catch my breath."

"I'd imagine so. That was quite a display of power you showed there."

Mimi didn't say anything. She simply smiled at his words, her strength returning. Taking hold of her sword again, she managed to get herself up onto one knee to finish taking deep breaths.

"Just take it easy now. You've overcome quite the obstacle there."

The fire continued to crackle, its flames still rising high into the air. Embers scattered around the base; remnants of its past rage. Mimi cautiously prodded at the fire with a stick, trying to keep it going to further bask in its warmth. But as she drew the stick away, from out of the fire, a foot stomped out near her hand.

Mimi jumped back and fell onto her behind, fear reinstated. From out of the blaze, a body stepped out, skin charred and blackened, clothes reformed, and hair aflame, but not burning. Five glinting knives shot out from its glove-like apparatus, flames running down the blades without tarnishing them. Most terrifying, its eyes were now pupil-less and glassy, tinted blood red; the color of rage.

The girl was very much alive, after all.

Looking down upon Mimi, a very angry snarl on her face, she began to advance towards the poor light-imbued girl. Shadow Rush attempted to charge at her foe, but the girl simply threw him aside with one hand, as if flicking away an annoying little moth. As she stood over Mimi, her chest rising and falling in tune with her heavy breathing, she breathed out her words.

"_Now you've made me angry, kid." _

Without warning, she vanished again, taking all the lights with her. The torches around the grove, including the bonfire, were extinguished. Mimi was now in the dark, the moon shining above the clearing sparing her from being in total blackness.

"_And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."_

The girl's words pierced the dark veil that surrounded them both. Shadow Rush managed to clumsily get to his feet, shaking his head to clear the rest of his dizziness.

"Guh…why do I get the feeling I've heard those words from somewhere el—"

"_Let's go, Light Girl! Shadowstep!" _

Rush was interrupted as Mimi too got back on her feet. Before she could react in time, a small black cloud appeared behind her. From out of it, the girl lunged out, weapon extended. She blew past Mimi, slicing her clean across. With a sharp cry, Mimi fell back to her knee, clutching the gashes across her side.

The girl whipped back around, smiling down on her victim.

"Looks like you're not so confident now, are you, hmm?"

Mimi could only whimper in pain, trying to stop her bleeding. She looked up at the girl, who was preparing for another strike. But as she wound up, Mimi's vision seemed to get brighter. She thought the darkness was beginning to affect her at last, but when she heard a heavenly voice, she quickly entered a calm state of mind.

"_Don't let your window of opportunity slip away, little Mimi. Strike her now!"_

He was right. The girl had appeared to have left herself open for return fire as she continued gloating. She had to act fast before her one chance to rise up again left her.

Recalling the Lightforce Sword to her, Mimi took her chance, sprang up, and swung at the girl. It was a clean cut, slashing her straight across her chest. She yelped and doubled back. Eyes wide in shock, she clutched the spot where she had been hit, bringing her hand up to see it was coated in blood—her blood.

"…How did you do that? You can't hit me! It's impossible!"

She vanished again in another black cloud. His voice rang in her head again.

"_You too can perform a technique similar to her Shadowstep, Mimi. You must focus your light essence, then project it to where you desire. The range of this technique obviously has its limits, of course." _

Mimi nodded. She pressed her fists together, extending her pointer fingers and touching the tips to each other. She shut her eyes tight, thinking only of moving her being to another location. She strained, trying her best to project outward.

"_Come on…come on…"_

Mimi was forced to act quick, for from behind her—

"Peekaboo! Here I come again!"

The girl swung hard, a wild look in her eyes. There was a flash of brightness, and she found herself swinging at nothing. The intensity of her attack sent her off-balance, nearly toppling over to the ground.

"Hey, no fair! You're stealing my technique!"

Another flash; this time, behind her—

"You're not the only one who can play dirty!" And Mimi swung back. It was a clean cut right down the girl's back, wherein she clutched it in pain.

"Agh! Damn it! I'll make you pay for that!"

And thus began a barrage of teleportation techniques, both Mimi and the girl popping in and out of the mortal plane in a flurry of respective black and white bursts. Rush found himself desperately trying to keep up with the white flashes to keep track of Mimi, as he could only catch very brief glimpses of both fighters as they swung at each other, then disappeared out of sight.

"Oh, uh, keep it up, Mimi—oh, now you're over there—wait, now—ugh! Forget it; you're doing good, kid!"

As the fight continued on, Mimi seemed to be regaining the upper hand. Her attacks became faster, and with one good swing of her sword, she struck the girl in just the right spot, dazing her. She spun out, unable to teleport anymore. But Mimi kept up the pressure, teleporting in and out of the plane, striking the girl multiple times. Rush could hear Mimi's cheerful laughter as she continued slicing and dicing, and he knew she was certainly winning.

But after several more strikes, the girl was getting progressively angrier. She was growling rather audibly now, and just as another perfect sword strike found its mark on her—

"**ENOUGH!" **

The girl wound up, and as Mimi teleported back in front of her for one last swing, the girl viciously backhanded her weapon hand, sending her sword flying through the air and embedding it into a tree.

Mimi was too startled by the sudden retort to react, which gave ample time for the girl to grab Mimi by the throat, clenching it in a vise-like grip. Mimi desperately kicked at her foe, gasping for any breath she could get, as the girl slammed her against a tree, not letting go of her throat for one second. She breathed her words in the harshest tone she could manage.

"_And now, you'll feel the full measure of my wrath." _She raised her knives up, poised to stab her victim.

Shadow Rush then made one last attempt to save Mimi. He ran to where her sword had been stuck into the tree, trying to pull it out with whatever strength he had within him. However hard the girl had knocked it through, though, had left it very deeply wedged into the bark. Rush only managed to pry it out a good half of the way before he was forced to look back at Mimi, who was now struggling to keep the girl's knives from piercing her midsection.

But try as the girl might, Mimi held onto her weapon hand tight, keeping it from moving any further. The two of them strained, both trying to gain respective control of the weapon. Mimi refused to be outdone; she wouldn't ever give up, even with the odds against her.

"Let go already! I already said you couldn't outlast me forever!"

Mimi barely managed to spurt her words out from her choke hold.

"B-because I won't give up, even if it kills me! I have a destiny to fulfill!"

"What are you talking about with this stupid 'destiny' of yours? I don't know anyone who could have possibly deemed you the Light that could save an entire world!"

"Because I was sent by Him! He created me as his Light, and now I've got to lift the darkness from this world to make Him proud!"

Hearing this immediately made the girl stop where she was, pupils returning to her placid eyes.

"Did you just say _Him?_ _He_ sent you on this quest of yours?" She turned away from Mimi, maintaining her hold on her throat, but loosening it ever so. She reveled in this realization.

"He's still alive…then that must mean Sora and the others are safe, too!"

Mimi knew her moment was now. Summoning the last of her strength, she aimed her telekinetic grasp towards her sword. Putting her full focus on the weapon's hilt, she pulled with what her dwindling power could manage, and by some miracle, her sword returned to her. With her adversary still reveling at the fact that He was still living, she took the opportunity and attacked.

Her blade found its mark, piercing the girl through her chest, causing her to let out a prolonged scream of agony. Blood spurted from the wound, splattering onto Mimi's clothing. She felt a sudden jolt in her power, and her vision went completely white. Her body felt as if it was floating, and she drifted into the grasps of unconsciousness.

_As Mimi awoke, she found herself in a very different place than she was before. She was in a bare, grassy plain. Everything she saw, it appeared to be in a much dulled shade of color. _

_She would have wondered why she was here until she looked ahead of her. Standing in the middle of a circle of dying purple flames, stood Him. In his arms, he was carrying the body of what looked like a woman. Standing before him were three other people; one of which was the girl, now wearing a white dress as opposed to her previous attire. The other two were hard for Mimi to pinpoint. One looked very much like the figure from her vision, while the other was shrouded in darkness, unable to be recognized. _

_The girl was talking to Him._

"_That was some race. Never thought you'd make it through."_

"_It was grueling, but even the possibility of death couldn't have stopped me."_

_She giggled, the other two figures conversing with each other. _

"_Will she be alright?" The girl asked._

"_Oh, she'll be just fine once she wakes up. I'll just stay with her for now."_

"_If you say so. Oh, and…you'll see me again soon, so don't worry." _

_Before Mimi could wonder about any of this, another flash brought her back from her bliss._

"Mimi? C'mon, Mimi, stay with me—there you go. Boy, you were out for a good while there." Rush's voice was the first thing Mimi heard upon reawakening. She slowly sat up, rubbing her head.

"Mm…what happened?"

"What happened? You did a real number on that spirit, is what you did!"

Mimi shook her head, her battle-ready attitude shaking off from her as well. When she noticed her sword and clothes were still covered in blood, she then looked over at the girl, her stab wound now fully bled out.

Mimi scrambled over to the girl's side, now scared that she might have unintentionally killed a soul.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you that bad! Please wake up!" She would have become much more guilt-ridden, had she not seen the girl's chest weakly rising and falling, her wheezy breathing a sign she was barely clinging to life.

"What do I do? Wh-what do I do? I don't know what I can do!"

"Just stay calm, Mimi! She's still breathing—barely."

Mimi ran her hands across the girl's stab wound, trying to stop the flow of blood that was still spurting out of it.

It was then that her light began to kick up again. As she held her hand over the girl's chest, it began to emit a warming aura. At first, she was not sure how to proceed, but with gentle encouragement from Shadow Rush, she figured it out.

Humming gently, she slowly waved her hand in small circles over the girl, emptying her mind of the past battle. The aura became greater in intensity, until it completely bathed the area in light. As quick as it started, it was over. When Mimi opened her eyes, the blood that had previously coated herself and her sword had vanished. And upon looking down, any sign of the girl's impalement was now gone, as well as the wounds she herself had suffered.

Mimi's eyes twinkled with amazement; she had performed her first healing spell. The girl's breathing had now eased up a little, her mind now in the droll of unconsciousness.

Mimi looked over the girl, running a hand down her arm. Her skin was smooth and clammy; something she didn't think would fit a human spirit. When she went to examine the strange glove apparatus, the girl suddenly took a deep breath of air, springing up to a sitting position and shocking both her resuscitator and her companion. She turned to them both, bewildered but thankful.

"You…you saved me? Even after I tried to kill you?"

"Even with the blackness in your heart, there's still good in you. I couldn't just leave you here to die."

The girl was surprised. She didn't know how to respond to little Mimi. Her mind searched for a possible answer, but finally settled on, "Thanks, Light Girl." They both shared a smile, as did Rush.

Minutes later, both girls and Rush were sitting in the girl's shrine, basking in the renewed warmth of the light around them. They sat cross-legged in front of each other, Rush at Mimi's side, as the girl initiated their conversation.

"So let me get this straight; you were created by Him as his Light, and he sent you on this quest to lift the darkness from this world?"

"M-hmm. That's it in a nutshell."

"Well, I can safely say that I'm sorry for thinking otherwise of you—and attacking you, of course."

"Apology accepted…whoever you are. I'm sorry; I never got your name."

"I'm Kai—just Kai. And what's your name? Other than Light Girl, I mean." Kai giggled at her own joke, as did Mimi, before she answered, "I'm Mimi—just Mimi."

Kai then looked at the little black pony next to Mimi. "And you are?"

"Shadow Rush. I'm sticking with Mimi as her companion on this journey."

"Shadow Rush? Hang on now. Aren't you that same pony that used to hang around Him before he vanished?"

"The very same!" Rush said proudly.

"And now you're helping His own Light on a dangerous quest like this?" Kai questioned. "You, Mimi, are quite the lucky girl."

"Well, I know Rush would guard me with his life, but I don't see how having him with me makes this destiny of mine any easier."

"What _is_ this destiny, anyway? I thought it would just be for you to be the heroine who would save us all."

"More specifically, Kai, He himself spoke to me, and he said something about 'finding the Four,' and that I had to reunite them in order to save this world."

Hearing this caused Kai to do an immediate double take, gob struck at what she just heard.

"The Four? He really told you to find the Four?"

"Well…yes. Why? Do you know any of them?"

"Know them?" Kai laughed heartily. "Sweetie, I'm one of them!"

Mimi's eyes widened at this revelation; she was both awestruck that she had unwittingly discovered one of the Four, and at the same time honored to be in Kai's presence now. Rush was equally surprised.

"Hang on; it's coming back to me now—oh, yeah! Now I remember! Kai here is the youngest member of the Four, if I recall; maybe just slightly older than you, Mimi."

Mimi then remembered something from their earlier battle.

"You said something about Sora and the others? Or at least, that's what I heard when you had me in the chokehold." She rubbed her throat, a little sore from being held.

"M-hm. I still remember her little group. I used to be really close to them all, but when He vanished…I kinda lost touch with them. I wonder if they even still remember me…" Kai said woefully.

But just as quickly, her mood lightened up again.

"So you've actually seen Him?"

"When I was first created, yes. You've obviously been close to him if you're one of his guardians, so what's He like?"

Kai sighed dreamily, and spoke as if she had been in the presence of a secret lover.

"Mimi…he's wonderful. He's intelligent and insightful beyond his age, and he takes such great care of his creations. Did you know that it was His imagination that created this world?"

"I think so. I remember Chiyo saying something about that. What else?"

"You wanna know the truth? He's actually a little shy at heart."

Both girls shared the same dreamy sigh, Kai then continuing her story.

"I'm sure you're probably wondering why I'm out here in this dark forest, aren't you?"

"I could be, yeah. I mean, I was driven further in after finding Rush, and re-encountering this girl named Ophelia, whom I had previously—"

"Wait, wait, hold up there, Mimi. Did you just say 'Ophelia'?"

Mimi nodded as her answer. Both Kai and Shadow Rush had solemn looks on their faces.

"Sweet lord…if she's following Mimi…" Rush gravely uttered.

"She could be in big trouble then." Kai added.

"Why? Who _is_ Ophelia, even?" Mimi questioned, more concerned than scared. Kai looked at Mimi, then at Rush, who gave a gesture as if to say she should tell Mimi the full details. Kai sighed, and began.

"It's a long story, but I'll try to make it easy to understand." Mimi nodded again, as she listened closely to Kai's story.

"Ophelia, if you can believe it, is another member of the Four." As if on cue, Mimi gasped in surprise. But Kai continued. "I know. Hard to believe since you've heard it now, but it's true. In fact, she and I used to be best friends. But, of course, that all changed once He disappeared."

"Well, what exactly drove her to this point? The first time I faced her, she had possessed my lo—uh, friend, Sora, since she was seemingly too weak to appear in her true form."

"Ah, yes—therein lies the rest of her history, little Mimi. You see, Ophelia was _incredibly_ close to Him when he was still around. In fact, she wanted Him all for herself. Whenever the others and I were around, she always hogged His attention, never letting us near him. You could pretty much say she was jealous of anybody who tried to spend time with Him; which, in her case, was everybody He tried to spend time with that wasn't her. Now here's where it really gets bad—when He vanished, Ophelia went absolutely _nuts_. She blamed said disappearance on all of us, saying we had convinced Him to leave in order to get away from her. Naturally, as her best friend, I tried to calm her down, but she lashed out at me. Our little argument flared up into something much bigger, and eventually, she cut me off, travelling far off into the reach and creating her own little world to simmer in her anger."

"But then, where does the part about her possessing Sora come in?"

"I was about to say. Basically, because Ophelia was now all alone, she gradually lost her strength and power, since the one person she depended on was now gone. In her weakened state, she realized she needed somebody to feed off of, or else she'd be gone, too. And naturally, seeing Sora and her group fawn over you, she saw her moment to strike."

"Wow…even I'm amazed by that. To think I was stuck up in the trees when all this happened!" Rush remarked.

"Well, even so, I exorcised her right out of Sora and drove her off; for now, at least. It's all thanks to the gift that He bestowed upon me." Saying this, she summoned the Lightforce Sword to display it. Now witnessing it up close now, Kai was stunned at the weapon's beauty.

"Man, that's a genuine work of art. I ought to know since I used to watch Him working on it in his little hideaway. Would you mind if I took a closer look at it?" Mimi shirked away, nervous to let her weapon go in unfamiliar hands.

"O-okay. But be careful with it." She carefully handed Kai her sword, to which Kai just as carefully took it from her. She gently caressed it in her hands, turning it over to better examine the jewels in the hilt, and the detail and shine of the blade.

As she did this, Mimi got her own look at Kai's strange apparatus.

"Hey, what's that?" She queried, pointing to Kai's right hand.

"Hm?" Kai blinked, and then looked at her hand. "Oh, this? This little beauty is called a glaive; in essence, it's a fitted metal glove with blades on the inside that I can easily sheathe and unsheathe when I need to. One for each finger, see?" She unsheathed each blade, one by one, to demonstrate this capability. After handing the sword back to her, Mimi asked, "Can I see the glaive too?"

"Of course." She extended her glaive hand to Mimi, who held it in her own hands, feeling the sharpness of the blades. That's when she recalled something.

"This instrument looks familiar to me too, Kai."

"It does? Where'd you see it before?" Kai asked, interested.

"Well…it was in this vision I had. This big figure, all draped in shadows and big red eyes; he was standing over me, taunting me with this same weapon."

When the fact of the matter struck her, Kai's eyes grew wide, and she jumped up, pacing around her shrine, unable to comprehend any of it.

"No, he couldn't be…he couldn't be watching her too, could he? She's in over her head more than I thought…"

"What? What is it, Kai?"

Kai took a deep cleansing breath, trying to keep calm about it. She started explaining nice and easily.

"That man you speak of…I know him, too. He's the oldest living member of the Four, and he had an inseparable bond with Him. Of all the people who could have gone the most insane when He left us, it was this man. You could pretty much say that he's one of the leading causes of the misery and plague that's taken all of us. His anger has infected the farthest reaches of this world, and I'm only lucky I managed to escape the wake of his wrath."

"What are you talking about? You look fine to me." Rush wondered.

Kai gave a disapproving smirk, then with not a speck of decency, lifted up the front of her hoodie for her company to see, both of which reacted bewilderedly. Kai responded with her own snippiness.

"Oh, calm down! I've got a bra on! Just look!" Regaining their senses, Mimi and Rush looked at the actual point of interest; a long, deep red and hemorrhaging scar that ran from Kai's midsection up to her chest.

"Good Lord!" Rush exclaimed, choking back some vomit.

"How on Earth did that happen, Kai?" Mimi expressed her deep concern.

"I made the foolish decision to confront him and his anger, and I ended up paying for it with this mark. I'm not really in arms about it, since he's much more powerful than I'll ever be. But that's beside the point. You said he came to you in a vision?"

"Uh-huh."

"Damn…he's still got it. Not only that, he and Ophelia are very close to each other, in a loving way. _She _won't let up on her mind games with you until you either give up or reach her little world. _He_ won't quit until you're gone. But knowing you, Mimi, you won't quit on us now."

"With Shadow Rush by my side and my own confidence, I know I'll be okay!"

"That's the spirit there, Mimi!" Rush said joyfully.

"I have to say, Mimi. You really opened my eyes. And again…sorry for trying to kill you."

Mimi got up to give Kai a reassuring hug. "All is forgiven. It's in the past now." Kai returned it slowly.

"I gotta say though. You have my word that I'll help you with whatever you need now. Just say the word and I'll point you in the right direction."

Mimi pondered on it for a moment, wondering how she could ask for her assistance. She couldn't bear asking Kai to accompany her and Rush on their journey, since she was only recovering from a battle that literally took place minutes ago. Deep in thought, she came to a head.

"Is there a chance you know where the rest of the Four are?"

"Hmm…well, I don't know where Ophelia's little hideaway is, so I can't help you there. But I do know where the remaining member is, and she's a good friend of mine. Her name's Song Li, and she resides far off in the cliffs."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for, Rush? Let's go!" Mimi proclaimed, as she sprung to her feet and ran out of the shrine, Rush right behind her. But Kai called them back.

"Mimi, wait! I had something to show you!" Mimi skidded to a stop, looking back at Kai. "If you'd follow me for a moment, there was something I wanted to show you."

She backtracked over to Kai, where she was led through a clearing and into another open area of the forest. It was a wide circle-like area with trees covering the rim, but within the center, a column of light was shining down, projected upward by a mysterious object.

"How long has that been there?" Mimi queried, curiously.

"I was just sitting in my grove when this thing shot down from the heavens and planted itself there. I can't get it out, but maybe you can."

Mimi looked at Kai, knowing she was being asked to try lifting the object up herself. Without so much as an argument, she warily approached the beacon, not sure if something would jump out at her or not. With no resistance, Mimi squinted at the object in the light, and upon figuring out what it was—

"It's a…guitar?"

"M-hmm. Looks like you've got one like I do now."

Mimi looked over the instrument closer; it was fairly large with a pearly white body, the light reflecting off it vibrantly. Shadow Rush stood by Mimi, silently admiring the beauty of this sight.  
>"Well, go on now, Mimi. Lift it up."<p>

Mimi stood there for a moment more. She felt strangely drawn to this instrument; in fact, it was the same feeling she had experienced when she first laid eyes on the Lightforce Sword. It was a wonderful feeling to her, to say the least; something she wanted to feel for a second time.

Reaching out into the light, she grasped the neck of the guitar, feeling its energy pulsate through her. With a firm tug, she successfully freed the instrument from its ensnarement in the ground, falling back on her behind as a geyser of light energy poured up from the ground, shooting up into the sky.

Kai sprinted up to them, only to stop behind them to keep her distance from the uproar before them. The three of them stood back as it pierced the red haze above them like a missile. On the ground, Mimi felt her new instrument pulsating with energy again, much stronger this time. Every cell in her body was coursing with this force, as she stumbled to her feet.

"Mimi, I think that guitar's looking to be played. You might be able to boost this light's strength with it." Kai said.

"But how? It's only a guitar."

"Ah, there's where you're wrong. See, He was very much passionate about music, and if He really is still alive, I'd imagine he still enjoys it so. When he created this world, he imbued the natural powers of the land with the remnants of his music. And accordingly, you can use that guitar of yours—as can I—to tap into said powers and perform some sweet magic with it."

Mimi was uncertain how to think of this new capability of hers. Raising an eyebrow, she questioned Kai.

"Doesn't that seem kind of…silly? I know music can bring people together and is wonderful to listen to, but doesn't using it to create magic and conjurations and the like seem silly?"

"Well, it WAS His imagination that shaped this world. I know it is kinda weird to get used to, but I think you'll find it'll help you in more ways than you can think."

"That does seem right, but even then, I don't know a thing about playing a guit—_ohhhh…."_

Mimi's statement was abruptly cut short as the guitar in her hands emitted a staggering burst of energy inside of her. It made her legs quiver, and her whole body shudder all over in near orgasmic bliss. Baffled, Rush asked the shivering girl, "Uh, are you feeling alright, Mimi?"

"_Nghhh…._I-I'm feeling wonderful, Rush…"

In her blissful state, she almost didn't hear His voice calling to her again.

"_With this instrument in your possession, you now hold my knowledge on both it and the music that echoes through this land. Use it well, and you too shall become in tune with your surroundings." _

As her trance broke, Mimi shook her head to clear her mind. She knew exactly what to do now. Standing before the geyser of light, still uproarious before her, she fingered the frets of her holy instrument, ready.

"Light…guide me with the music of this land."

What Mimi was not aware of now was that Sora and the rest of her group had begun their trek through the forest on their own little quest to catch up with their bubbly little savior. They had all stuck together on the path, Sora far ahead of the others. Tomo, 'Splosion Man and his Mrs. were helping clear any impeding brush and fauna before them with both pyrokinesis and their self-destructive capabilities respectively, whilst Owen carried Chiyo atop his head at her request. Sakaki and Osaka hung around the back to cover their trails, but of all of them, Jimmy was still being obnoxious, as if it were his nature.

Sora could not help but wonder about Mimi. Was she able to make her way through this forest? Had she been able to bypass whatever denizens lurked within the trees? And above all, was she safe?

"Miss Sora?" Chiyo chirped. Sora looked behind her to address her.

"Yes, Chiyo?"

"How do you know Mimi went through here?"

"It's where I saw her walk into when she left our home. She's got to be here."

"Do you think she's safe?"

Sora held a gasp back; the very thing she was thinking about, and Chiyo brought it up in person. She tried to think of an answer that wouldn't frighten Chiyo.

"I…I'm certain she's alright, Chiyo. After all, she's got that Lightforce Sword, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! I'll bet she killed a big monster with it, didn't she?"

"Heh, I'll bet, Chiyo." Sora chuckled.

"Oi, I'll tell y'all, I bet I could find her in no time at all!" Jimmy cut in.

"Well, go on then! Why don't you run ahead of me right now and find her, runner boy, hm?" Sora challenged. Shot down, Jimmy wisely shut up.

Continuing to walk on, the group stopped just as a geyser of light shot up a distance away from them through the tainted sky above them. They "oohed" and "aahed" at the sight, Osaka being her natural oblivious self.

"That's a big light…d'you think there's a fireworks show going on over there?"

"Isn't that the part of the forest we thought was haunted by an unhappy spirit?" Sakaki added, ignoring Osaka.

Remembering that one detail suddenly sparked something in Sora's mind; Sakaki was right. And someone she knew and loved could be in mortal trouble.

"_Mimi..!" _

Like that, she was off like a gazelle, speeding off into the forest, leaving the others dazed as to what could have set her off like that. But one thing was still certain; they had to keep up with her, lest she encounter something she couldn't contend with alone.

Owen told Chiyo to hold on tight, as he began to run at quite a pace for someone of his girth and stature. Sakaki was right behind him, and the rest of the gang followed suit, Ms. 'Splosion Man shouting a gleeful "Speed shoes!" as she ran.

Back in the grove, Mimi felt herself playing the guitar like a pro; her slim fingers slid across the strings, playing every chord, note and harmony like a veteran player. Hearing the melody in her head, her solo continued on, bringing power to the light shooting upward, like kindling to a fire. All around her, the land seemed to brighten. The trees regained leaves on their many branches, the grass straightened and filled with color, the atmosphere around them breathed life once again. All around her, the light was getting stronger. To think; herself—little Mimi—was bringing about an energy bigger and brighter than anyone could imagine to this plane.

Still a distance away, Sora was still adamant on getting to the source of this exuberance. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she vaulted over low-hanging branches and bramble as if she had studied free running. Owen, despite his supposed size disadvantage, was still keeping up with a speedy pace. As Sakaki ran alongside him, she popped her question.

"Should I even ask how you're able to run so fast?"

"I'm chubby, but I'm quick!" Owen replied. And the pursuit continued.

As expected, Mimi's solo had come to its conclusion, and her magic had certainly left its mark. Gone now was the geyser of light, replaced with a patch of flora and fauna. But shooting her hands upward, towards the sky, she let loose one last burst of light, which shot over the tress, through the clouds, and self-destructing in the sky. In its wake, the bloody smog above them all cleared, the soothing glow of the moon now finally returning.

Kai and Rush were now ecstatic with Mimi's performance. She had done what both of them had thought of as unthinkable; she had restored life to this once lifeless plane. And her magic was still spreading through the rest of the forest.

Sora and her troop were not much farther away from the grove, when the light they had been following all but vanished. They all slid to a stop, kicking up the dirt beneath their worn feet. Just as they began to wonder what had killed their beacon, a wave of color blew past them. The previously deadened trees around them all burst with life, as did everything else around them.

Chiyo giggled happily seeing the forest so bright and colorful once more. In fact, everybody's moods had been lifted because of this. They all laughed together, and cheered, and they kept on running; now certain they would find Mimi in the heart of this forest.

Once more in the grove, Mimi was left standing back to admire the aftermath of her work. Everywhere she looked, she saw what life she had restored to the woods. She smiled; she couldn't have felt more accomplished with the task she had fulfilled. Shadow Rush rejoined her side, as did Kai, both equally proud with her.

"You done good, kid. This world will be restored to its former glory after all, thanks to you." Rush complimented.

Then, Mimi and Kai met eyes again. They both knew it; they had to part ways after so much had happened. Mimi still had a mission to carry out, after all. The two grinned at each other, and shared one last tight hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Kai."

"Same here, Mimi. But if we ever meet again, I'll be right at your side when you need it most."

Releasing each other, Kai guided Mimi and Rush to a smooth path leading out of the forest.

"Now, to find Song Li, you just need to follow this road here, and keep going east until you reach the mountains. I must warn you, though; she's smart, but she's quite the feisty one."

"I'll keep that in mind. We'll be off then!" Mimi proclaimed, starting on the path with Rush right beside her. "Oh, and…thanks again."

"No problem, Mimi!" They waved their goodbyes, and like that, Mimi was off.

Once she was out of eyesight, Kai said to herself;

"You'll go far, Light Girl. Just don't give up yet."

It was then that Kai heard the sound of footsteps—very fast-moving footsteps. Off-put, she turned around to see she had some visitors in her grove—it was Sora and her group.

With Mimi gone, Sora knew they were too late, but once they saw Kai standing by the path—

"Boy, do you look familiar!" Tomo was the first to cry out happily.

"Oh, you guys!" Kai replied. She and Sora ran to each other, and both practically leapt into a bone-crushing hug.

Kai could not have been more overjoyed that her friends still remembered her.

"I missed you all so much!"

"As did we! We thought you had forgotten us!" Sora exclaimed.

"I thought you guys had forgotten me!" Kai exclaimed back.

"Kinda hard to forget someone like you!" Tomo jumped in.

They all shared a laugh with their reunion, basking in the new warmth of the evening sky. But Sora then remembered they were still looking for someone.

"Uh, listen, Kai. I know it's good to have you back with us, but is there a chance you saw someone come through here?"

"I see a lot of people come my way through this forest. Where they went, I'd rather not recall, but is there someone in particular you're looking for?"

Osaka answered for Sora. "Well…she's got brown hair. Nice little ponytail, too. Amber eyes, and a white shirt—"

"And a magical sword that He bestowed upon her that helped her fight me?"

"Yeah! Just like that!" Owen responded. "Wait, what was that about a fight?"

"Indeed. This person you speak of happened upon my grove when I was in a real bad mood. We had a major skirmish which ended with her nearly killing me, but bringing me back to health." Kai rubbed her chin in thought, smiling playfully. "Hmm…you wouldn't be happening to look for one…what was her name…Mimi, was it?"

Sora's jaw dropped.

"H-how did you know about her?"

"Well, I just told you she nearly killed me, didn't I? Besides, who else do you think could've fixed the place up like this?"

"So she _was_ here." Sakaki spoke. "Did you see where she went?"

"She's off to go find the rest of the Four, since she already found me." Kai pointed to the path behind her. "_I _was the one who pointed her in the right direction."

"If she's found you already, then she can't be much farther off, right?" Chiyo questioned.

"The funny thing about that? You guys came in just as she walked off. You literally just missed her."

That statement hit Sora like a bag of hammers.

"Well, then what are we waiting for!?" Eager to continue following their friend, Sora rocketed past them down the path Kai had shown, not even stopping for a second. This left Kai and the others rather flustered.

"Um…is she alright? She certainly seems dead set on catching up to our little friend."

"It might help that she and Meems got a bit of a…thing goin' on, y'know?" Jimmy suggested.

"Kissy-kissy time, yes." Ms. 'Splosion Man added.

"Oh…oh!...ohh….." Kai blushed the brightest red that her pale skin would allow, realizing what they meant. "R-right then. What do you say we go catch up with Sora?"

"You don't have to tell us twice." Owen concluded. And the chase was on once again, everyone running off into the forest, laughing their heads off with 'Splosion Man exclaiming "ADVENTURE!"

After some time had passed, the path had found Shadow Rush and Mimi still walking a good long mile or two. Mimi was only feeling a small soreness in her legs after walking for so long, but Rush was not as persistent. He could only go on for a little longer before his little hooves gave out beneath him.

Panting, he breathed, "Mimi…can we please stop and rest? I really don't think I can walk anymore tonight, and my wings are still hurting from being in those pointy branches."

"Oh…alright. It's getting late, anyway."

They stopped at a smaller clearing, where there was enough light for the both of them to rest under. Mimi conjured up an orb of light to keep them warm, then lay down upon the cool grass, Rush curling up next to her, placing his hat aside. He quickly fell asleep, but Mimi remained awake. She stared up at the moon; the very same she had unveiled from its cloudy prison. _She_ had done that.

"Rush?"

He snorted as he was awoken. "Huh—what is it, Mimi?"

"Do you really think I did well tonight?"

"I'll bet that He's watching over you right now, and he's just as proud of you as I am."

"You really think so?"

"M-hm. It's still something to get used to, but you're more powerful than you think." This earned an improving grin from Mimi. "Now we'd better get some sleep now. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to find Song Li."

At last, the two drifted off to sleep, off to the gentle embrace of their dreams.

For Mimi, it was not so welcoming.

_It was a simple sound that made Mimi's eyes shoot open. It wasn't an otherworld growl or roar. It was…clapping._

_The sound of someone clapping their hands slowly together._

_But from where?_

_She carefully stood up, scanning her immediate area for the source of the sound. Even her surroundings were different. The previously green forest and moon were now replaced by the red-hazed purgatory-like environment she had been in before. Shadows were all around her, but one stood out from the darkness as she turned around._

_There was a silhouette—a female clapping her hands slowly, mockingly._

_Ophelia._

"_Oh, well done, Light Girl. You actually took care of Kai. Enjoy that feeling while you can, though. It'll be as far as you get in making a change in this place."_

"_I'm not giving up yet, Ophelia. And nothing you say will stop me." _

"_Oh, is that so? Do you really think you can make a difference? At all?" _

"_Considering how I restored an entire forest with the power of His music, clichéd as that may sound, your words have no meaning there. Plus, I know now about that hooded figure from my other vision—and how you and him have a thing."_

_Ophelia snarled from hearing this._

"_Damn that Kai and her running her mouth. She never did learn to shut up."_

"_Hey! That's my friend you're talking about!"_

"_Do I sound like I care, Light Girl? Because I don't! Long story short, your efforts are still being wasted in your pursuit of 'restoring' this forsaken plane. So you and your stupid little horse will either quit while you're ahead or get that light of yours snuffed out later down the road." _

"_Do you really think I would quit? After what I've proven thus far? Not a chance!" Mimi retorted. "Who's gonna stop me now?" _

"I _might…" _

_Mimi froze; she recognized that deep, inhuman voice. She could already feel her blood turn to ice. She shut her eyes again, praying she would wake up before she faced another nightmare. Ever so slowly, she turned around, trying to maintain a cool composure._

_With nothing but courage on her side, she opened her eyes. _

_There, staring back at her, was a pair of hateful red eyes, glowing brightly in the darkness. She let out a small gasp._

"_Have you forgotten about me, little Mimi?"_

_The poor girl was practically shivering now. Scared as she was, she did her best to keep it hidden._

"…_I-I'm not afraid of you. You're one of the Four."_

"_So I am. The oldest one, if you recall young Kai's words." _

"_I'm not afraid of you." She restated, louder._

"_Oh, but you _are_, child. I can sense the terror inside of you from just my mere presence. You can't hide your precious emotions from me." _

_His shade of a figure circled around her, as if taunting her further. Mimi did not move, keeping her eyes shut, refusing to let his words dissuade her._

"_My Ophelia's words stand true. If you continue your quest to find us, you will find only misery and suffering at the end of your road; because it _will _end, whether you expect it or not." _

_She could feel her insides tear up. Their words were redundant to her, yet their repetition was wearing her down. _

"_C'mon, c'mon…wake up, Mimi, wake up…" She chanted to herself._

_The figure snickered._

"_You honestly think that He can rescue you this time?" His glaive blades flashed before her, glinting in what little light hung above them. "I beg to differ, Mimi." _

_That triggered her instinct. Almost immediately—_

"_**No!" **_

_In that opening she had, Mimi called upon her own weapon. In a flash, her sword swung out towards the figure, who let out a surprised cry of pain and jumped back, attempting to cover his face. Not even his darkest of darks could block out her holy illumination. What made it worse for him was how he too recognized the blade._

"_You—a mere misguided child—carrying His weapon…how did you come into possession of that?" Mimi could swear she heard the tiniest hint of fear in his voice._

"_I told you. I have a destiny to fulfill." She pointed the blade closer to him, driving him further off to the point of resignation._

"_You may have outwitted me this time, Mimi. But mark my words; when next we meet, it shan't be an encounter you will easily win." His words faded into the nothingness, as did his figure._

_Mimi boldly smiled, before her mind finally came to ease; she felt her whole body falling back down to the grass, and back to sleep… _


End file.
